


Strangers On A Plane

by Viktoryus



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Believe in Swan Queen, Casual Sex, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Eventual Romance, F/F, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-02-17 23:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 74,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13087455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viktoryus/pseuds/Viktoryus
Summary: Emma and Regina are both leaving New York on Christmas morning to fly home to Seattle. By chance, they are seated in the same row and strike up a conversation that only strangers might be comfortable with. Neither is looking for anything serious but can something that starts out completely casual turn into more? Story is mine but the characters are not. Swanqueen AU. Started as a one-shot but it's probably gonna be another long one.





	1. Chapter 1

Emma scratches her temple with the back of her pen as she scans over the list of clues for the crossword puzzle that is sitting on the tray table in front of her. She actually does not care for word puzzles, but if there is anything she dislikes more, it most certainly is flying. Just the thought of the five-hour long flight has her stomach in knots, and right now, the only thing she has that can take her mind away from traveling is this magazine that the previous occupant of her seat has just happened to leave in the seat pocket in front of her.

Emma looks up for a moment to see that they are still boarding the plane and quickly glances over to the two seats beside her. Flying on Christmas Day does have its perks, as they are both still unoccupied. She turns her attention back down to the magazine hoping that by some miracle, she gets to have the whole row to herself.

No such luck however, because a few minutes later Emma watches from the corner of her eye as a woman reaches to put her luggage in the overhead compartment before taking the aisle seat in her row. From the little that Emma can see of the woman, she notices that she is in a very high pair of heels as well as a very form-fitting pencil skirt. It makes her a little self-conscious knowing that she herself is wearing a baggy sweatshirt and running pants, but she would never forfeit her comfortability, especially while on a plane. She does have a lot of respect for the folks who are dressed to the nines when they travel. It seems like a lot of work and even though she sees no point in it, just the amount of effort itself is very admirable.

Emma once again concentrates her attention to what she has already started filling in on the page in front of her. When she feels her phone vibrating, she pulls it out to check the message. It is an email from Julia telling her that she was very happy that they were able to spend the last couple of days together and she wanted to wish her a Merry Christmas again. Emma sighs. Her and Julia ended their relationship a few months ago, on good terms, with Julia realizing that she really wanted to spend her life with a man in the end. Emma decided that she wanted to preserve the years of friendship they had built so when Julia moved to New York, Emma offered to help her get settled in. That hardly means though, that Emma is not still bitter about the whole thing.

Emma thinks back to when she had first developed romantic feelings for Jules. They were good friends all through their time at university together and she learned quickly that it was more than friendship that she wanted from Julia. She remembers following the other woman around like a lost puppy and how devastating it was for her when they graduated and had to go their separate ways. They kept in touch regularly at first but as time went by and they both got busier with their own respective lives, they eventually lost track of each other altogether.

A few years ago, Emma was coincidentally in the same hotel that Julia was staying at for a business trip, so they had dinner to catch up and reminisce about their college days. With the help of several Manhattans and a couple shots of Tequila, Emma confessed to Julia that she had spent a very long time pining over her. One thing led to another and when Emma woke up the next morning with a very naked Julia in bed with her, she knew that she was in trouble.

Thinking back on that now, Emma smiles to herself. That was the beginning of an eight-month long, whirlwind romance and if you would ask her, the relationship lasted longer than she even believed that it would.

After the most civil breakup conversation she has ever had with anyone, Emma vowed not to ever get involved with another straight woman again.

Emma is brought out of her thoughts when she hears the flight attendant speaking to her.

"Miss, the cabin door is now closed and locked. We are going to begin our takeoff shortly. Could you please put your tray table up?" The woman asks.

"Oh, yes, of course." Emma says nervously, the word "takeoff" making her stomach do somersaults.

When Emma looks over, she sees the woman that is sitting next to her turn towards her as she takes a quick glance out the window. They catch each other's eyes for a quick moment and Emma sees her face for the first time. To say that she thinks the woman is breathtaking would be quite the understatement. She has short, dark hair framing her perfect face, very light makeup with exception to a dark red lipstick, and to top it all off, a pair of thick-rimmed glasses which is a definite weakness of hers. The woman smiles at Emma and she is suddenly very grateful she is already sitting down. Otherwise, she would probably feel her knees buckle. Emma returns the smile and turns her head away just in time to let out a nervous breath.

* * *

Regina is grateful that she will finally have several hours to herself. Once she is back in Seattle, she has to make her way straight from the airport into the office for an emergency shareholders meeting. Whatever the meeting is about, she is certain it must be very important, or else they would not have called everyone on Christmas Eve just to request their presence during the holiday. Normally, she would be cursing the fact that she must give up spending time with her family but the last few days at home has been incredibly trying.

Regina's family made the decision to have Christmas in New York this year, at her sister and brother-in-law's new home. Everything was going great until they all focused their meddling minds on Regina and her current relationship status. It is no surprise to anyone that knows her that she is single and generally uninterested in dating. Most of her colleagues will tell her she works too much, clocking close to twelve or thirteen hours a day, sometimes even longer than that. Her family have told her that she does not make enough of an effort to meet new people. But the truth is, she is just not really interested in sharing her time with anyone else. The older she gets the more comfortable she realizes she is with just being perpetually single, but her parents do not share that same sentiment.

Regina is brought out of her reverie when the flight attendant makes a stop at her row during the final flight check. Regina turns to look out the window for a second and catches the eyes of the woman sitting in the window seat in her row. She notes that the woman is absolutely gorgeous and before she can help herself, she smiles at her. The woman returns the smile before turning her face back towards the window.

* * *

When the plane is finally off the ground, Emma sits back with her head against the headrest and closes her eyes tightly. She grips the armrests and takes a few slow breaths in hopes that it will help her to relax. She suddenly feels eyes on her but does not open her own to confirm her intuition. She just sits as still as she can and continues to breathe slowly until she feels the plane start to level out. Moments later, the flight attendant's voice is on speaker again letting everyone know that they are now at the required altitude and that the beverage cart would soon be making its rounds.

* * *

Once the plane is off the ground, Regina looks over to see that the beautiful blonde woman seems to look slightly paler than she had before. Her body language is telling Regina that she must either really dislike flying or she actually may have a fear of it. She watches as the other woman takes slow breaths, her chest rising and falling with each one and recognizes that she herself uses that same technique when she needs to calm her nerves.

Regina finally looks away reluctantly when the flight attendant is telling everyone that they could now use their wireless devices. She pulls the computer out of her bag and turns it on. Within seconds of getting connected to the Wi-Fi, she receives multiple messages from her sister and her father, both apologizing for being overbearing and nettlesome. Regina smiles to herself and sighs. Then she responds as lovingly as she can and tells them that she loves them and will call them once she lands in Seattle.

* * *

"Miss, would you like something to drink?" The flight attendant asks Emma.

"Would I ever. I'll take two bourbons and a Sprite, please." Emma says anxiously.

"Certainly." Then she turns her attention to Regina. "And for you, Miss?" She asks.

"I'll have a red wine and a glass of water, please and thank you." Regina says. Then before she has too much time to talk herself out of it, she speaks up again. "And the two bourbons are on me as well." Regina turns back towards the blonde after she receives confirmation from the flight attendant and smiles.

Emma has a look of confusion on her face. "Uh... I-"

"I noticed that you seem to be having a less than stellar experience with the flight so far. I was going to ask if I could get you a glass of water earlier when we were taking off, but you seemed a little preoccupied with your own thoughts. I hope that this will help you to feel a bit more at ease." Regina says, still smiling.

"I... Well, thank you. You really didn't have to do that though. Now I feel like I should buy the next round." Emma says, smiling genuinely.

Regina laughs. "Normally, I would take you up on that offer, but I'm afraid that I have to go into a meeting once we land in Seattle. It will probably not be a very wise idea to have more than this one drink. But, I really appreciate the thought."

The sound of the woman's laugh makes Emma's heart start racing and she smiles easily at her. "I see. Well, if you decide that you want a snack or a tuna sandwich from the food cart, I've got you." Emma says with a wink. Then she extends her hand. "I'm Emma by the way. Emma Swan."

Regina takes her hand. "I'm Regina. It's very nice to meet you, Emma." She says.

Emma beams feeling much better about the flight all of a sudden. "Likewise. So... you said that you have a meeting today? But it's Christmas." She wonders if she is being too intrusive, but she does not want their conversation to end.

"Yes, it is. Whatever it is that my bosses and our shareholders want to talk about, it evidently couldn't wait." Regina says.

Emma is impressed and honestly a bit intimidated. "Wow. You must be pretty important then, if your presence is being requested by all of the big guys."

Regina laughs again. "I don't know about that, but I'd like to think that they like to hear my feedback every once in a while."

 _There's that laugh again._ "Well, they are definitely lucky to have you if they can pull you away from your family and friends on Christmas Day." Emma says nodding.

Regina smiles. "To be honest, I was happy to get away."

Emma raises an eyebrow inquisitively.

Regina chuckles. "God, that must sound horrible." When the look of confusion does not leave Emma's face, she continues. "My sister and brother-in-law got married last year. They have a wonderful home in New York and she's pregnant with their first child. I, on the other hand, am single, living on my own, and do not really have plans to change that any time soon. Family time is not nearly as great as it used to be because naturally, my parents are now constantly worried that I will end up an old maid."

"Oh, I highly doubt that would ever happen." Emma blurts out without meaning to speak aloud and when she realizes that Regina is smirking at her comment her eyes widen in horror thinking that she has misspoken.

"Oh?" Regina says.

Emma continues talking nervously, unable to stop herself. "I just mean that you're obviously beautiful and awfully intelligent. There's no way that you will become an old maid."

Regina smiles devilishly. "Obviously beautiful, huh?"

Emma looks down at her glass as she feels her face get hot and she stammers helplessly. "I, uh... I mean…"

Regina frowns when she sees Emma's reaction and leans over closer, reaching out for her. She touches Emma's forearm lightly hoping to convey the sincerity in her words. "I'm sorry. I was only teasing. I really appreciate the compliment, I do. It is very sweet of you to say that."

Emma looks up again and smiles shyly still unable to find any words, this time due to their proximity to one another.

Regina pulls away when she realizes that she is in the other woman's space. "Anyway, it's really the fact that I am not actively looking for a relationship that makes my family nervous. They don't really understand how I could possibly enjoy being alone." Regina says as she takes a drink of her wine. "But, let's stop talking about me. Why are you traveling on the holiday?"

Emma frowns. "It's kind of a long story."

Regina looks down at her watch turning it towards Emma. "It looks like we still have a good four hours before we land in Seattle." She says with a cheeky smile.

Emma laughs. "I was helping a friend get settled into her new apartment. She moved away from Seattle last weekend and I flew up to help her with a few things."

Regina squints her eyes at Emma. "Why do I get the feeling that isn't the whole story."

Emma chuckles and finishes her bourbon and Sprite in one large gulp. "She's my ex-girlfriend. The friend that I helped. She moved from New York to Seattle a while ago when we started dating and she decided that she wanted to move back when we broke up."

Regina frowns. "Well, that was very kind of you. I can't imagine that was an easy task for you."

Emma shrugs. "It is what it is. I mean, I kinda knew that it wasn't going to work out. I am the first woman that she has ever even kissed so it wasn't exactly surprising to hear that she really wants to find a man to spend her life with."

"So, if you knew that it wasn't going to work out, why didn't you end it first?" Regina asks.

"That's easy. I was so in love with her." Emma says confidently.

Regina hums at Emma's response.

Emma smiles. "What? Was that not what you wanted to hear?"

Regina shakes her head. "No, no. I was just thinking about how that is exactly why I really enjoy being alone."

Emma chuckles. "I'd say 'cheers' to that but I'm out of bourbon. And I was never good at being alone, but before Julia, I was actually single for a long time. That's probably what made me think that there was hope for me whenever I ran into her again."

"So, you knew each other before?" Regina asks.

"We were college roommates and it probably took me a day and a half of being in the same room with her to fall for her. That sounds super cliché, I know." Emma says laughing. "But, it really was just that easy. After we graduated, she moved to New York and I stayed in Washington. We stayed close for about a year or so and then one day, we just didn't email each other anymore. By chance, she was in Seattle again for work and without really meaning to, we ended up in bed together. A week later, she was moving in with me."

"Wow." Regina says. "She seems like a very impulsive person."

"That's one way of putting it." Emma says smiling.

Regina notes that Emma has a very beautiful smile. "Do you miss her?"

"Well, I just saw her three hours ago." Emma says.

Regina rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean, Emma."

Emma laughs. "Sure, I do. But in a way, our actual relationship was much-needed closure for all those years I spent hoping that she'd be more than just my roommate. I think that I can just let the whole thing go now, ya know?

Regina nods.

"Anyway, it's my turn to ask questions. Do you really enjoy being alone? Don't you get lonely?" Emma asks.

Regina shrugs. "Yes. Of course, I get lonely. But, that never really lingers. I work a lot and don't have much free time."

Before Emma has a chance to say anything, the flight attendant is by them collecting their plastic cups and trash. Emma hands hers over and waits for Regina to do the same before she speaks up. "So, do you think that you don't have much time to date because you work a lot, or, do you work a lot so that you won't have much time for dating?"

Regina smirks. "This conversation is getting a bit psychological, don't you think?"

Emma shrugs. "You don't have to answer me. I just wanted to put that out there. I used to spend a lot of time keeping myself busy. Now, I kinda understand the psychology behind why I did it, so, I just thought that I'd ask."

"No, you're right. I like to be busy so that I don't really have to think about a lot of things. Not just romantic relationships but relationships in general. I suppose that I'm just not very good at caring for other people." Regina says.

"Well, I doubt that's true." Emma states.

"How can you say that when you barely know me?" Regina asks, genuinely curious.

"You bought me a drink earlier because you noticed that I was uncomfortable with flying. That's hardly a trait of someone who is not very good at caring for anyone but herself." Emma answers.

Regina smiles. "Touché."

"Anyway, that's probably just something you tell yourself to justify the fact that you don't like to go on dates." Emma adds.

Regina smiles. "Did my parents pay you to take this flight and sit in the same row, just so you could have this conversation with me? Because I feel as though this is starting to sound all too familiar."

Emma frowns. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overstep…"

"It's fine." Regina says sweetly. "I'm only kidding. And I don't know why but it sounds a whole lot nicer coming from you than it does from my family."

"Well, I just think that you're probably selling yourself short, that's all." Emma says with a smile.

Regina smiles gratefully. "I think that your friend Julia is going to have a very difficult time finding someone that is more of a flatterer than you are."

"Oh, for sure." Emma says with a wink and a nod.

They spend the rest of the flight chatting a little here and there, but Regina eventually has to turn her concentration back towards her computer and her work emails while Emma goes back to her magazine.

Emma has almost completely forgotten about how much she hates flying when the captain announces that they are going to start their descent into the Seattle area. Emma immediately tenses and slowly puts her magazine back into the seat pocket in front of her. She checks her seat belt and once she finds that it is secure, she wraps her hands onto the armrests, gripping them tightly. She closes her eyes and starts to count her breaths however, before she gets to her third deep breath, she feels a hand on top of hers.

Regina smiles when Emma turns towards her and opens her eyes. She is not sure if what she sees is doubt or gratitude, but she pulls Emma's hand slowly off of the armrest and intertwines their fingers giving it a squeeze. Emma finally relaxes and lays her head back on the headrest.

Once the plane lands, Emma lets out a sigh of relief and looks over at Regina who is already looking at her. She smiles. "Thank you." She says gratefully.

Regina returns her smile. "You're welcome."

They sit in silence as the plane taxis up to the gate. Neither of them even realizes that they are still holding hands until the plane comes to a full stop and the seatbelt light is turned off.

Regina is first to recognize it and slowly releases Emma's hand. She clears her throat awkwardly. "I should get my carry on." She stands up and pulls open the overhead compartment pulling her luggage out. "Do you have anything up here?" She asks Emma.

Emma just nods because she cannot seem to find her voice. When she is able to speak again, her voice is hoarse and quiet. "It's the gray duffel." She says.

Regina reaches for the only gray duffel in the compartment and hands it over to Emma.

Emma smiles in acknowledgement. She opens her mouth to speak again but before she can, it is their turn to exit and when Regina turns to walk towards the front of the plane, she follows her.

Once they are finally off of the plane and in the terminal, Emma feels much better. She blinks a few times to clear her head and when she looks up, she sees that Regina is standing a few feet away staring back at her. She smiles and walks over to the other woman. "Hey, thanks again. I'm sort of really glad that I won't be flying back to New York anytime soon. That was really rough."

Regina bites the inside of her cheek hesitantly. She realizes that she would really like to see Emma again and considers asking her if that would be a possibility. But ultimately, she decides against it. "Well… I-"

"Can I see you again?" Emma blurts out suddenly.

Regina beams suddenly very glad that Emma is more courageous than she is. She reaches into the inside of her purse and pulls out a business card holder. She takes one of the cards out and hands it to Emma. "I would like that a lot. Both my email and my cell phone number are on there."

Emma smiles widely. "Thanks. Merry Christmas, Regina."

"Merry Christmas, Emma." Regina smiles again and before Emma has a chance to respond, she turns and walks into the crowd of people.

When Regina is no longer in sight, Emma looks down at the business card.  _Regina Mills, Chief Executive Officer._ Her eyes widen in surprise. "Damn…" She says to herself as she chuckles. Then she tucks the card into a pocket on the side of her bag, careful not to lose it, and pulls out her phone so that she can call for a ride home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: So, this was supposed to be a one-shot! But, the more I got to thinking about it (and thank you, by the way, to everyone that left me a comment asking for this to be continued because you have successfully twisted my arm), the more I wanted to develop this story a bit more. If you have read Where We Belong, you know that I tend to do a very slow burn for our ladies. This one is not going to be that way, however, no promises that you are going to like what I have planned either. That's all I'm going to say! I hope you like it and continue to follow it. PLEASE let me know what you think!***

Regina sighs and she shuts her laptop down as she gathers her things. She is not sure what she was expecting, but the talk of a corporate merger was not on her radar at all. And as far as she can tell, the shareholders and other board members are just as surprised as she is.

"Regina, why do I get the sense that you're not one-hundred percent convinced that this is a good decision for us?" Silas says as he turns his chair towards her.

Regina puts both of her hands on the conference table in front of her and takes a deep breath. Silas, the President of the company and her boss, is not someone that takes confrontation well.  _But to hell with that,_ she thinks. "Silas, why now?" She asks, unable to keep the exasperation from her voice.

Silas laughs. "Why not now?"

Regina turns towards him. "Why not!? Silas, we are about to end the year with record numbers and we are projected to do even better next quarter. Why would we even want to consider this deal right now?"

"Regina, just like always, you are missing the big picture!" Silas says as he throws his arms into the air. "This is going to be huge for us. These people have very deep pockets."

Regina shakes her head. "Then why haven't I heard about this until today? Why keep this from me? You just made me look like a damned fool in front of everyone in here."

"You know why. It's because I knew that you would react this way." Silas says as he pulls himself out of the chair and onto his feet. He grabs his briefcase putting it onto the table and opens it so that he can put away his portfolio and computer. When he looks up again, Regina is in the same position, still staring at him. "What? What do you want me to say, Regina?"

Regina pulls her glasses off and rubs at the bridge of her nose because she is beginning to feel a headache coming on. "You know what, you're the one that put me in charge here, and despite what everyone else may think, you and I both know that it was not because you and I were fucking each other when we were still working in this building together. I know how to do my job and I'm damned good at it!"

"Regina-"

Regina cuts him off. "No! I'm not finished." She walks over closer to him so that he does not miss a single word of what she has to say to him. "You do not get to make these decisions without so much as a call or an email to me, then pull me away from my family on Christmas Day, and then proceed to make a fool of me in front of the entire Board. If that is the kind of person you want in this seat, someone that will just nod and smile at you, then you should find yourself a replacement right now."

Silas closes his eyes and sighs. "You know that you're the only one that I want for the job. No one else would be able to do even half of what you do."

Regina walks away from him, over to where her coat is hanging and puts it on. Then she takes the rest of her things and looks up at him again. "And you're right. This  _is_  huge, and I'm going to need some time to process it all. So, I hope that you have a safe flight back to L.A. Merry Christmas." And without giving Silas a chance to reply, she turns and walks out of the conference room and out towards the elevators.

When Regina is finally outside, she takes a deep breath, taking in the cool and damp Seattle air. She runs her hand through her hair and squeezes her eyes shut. Once she feels that she has composed herself, she walks towards the parking garage to fetch her car. She absentmindedly walks into the garage to where she is usually parked and sees that her car is not in the usual, assigned spot.

"Shit." Regina mutters to herself when she realizes that she took an Uber straight from the airport to the office and that her car is still at home. She reaches into her bag and pulls out her phone so that she can call for a car and when she does, she sees that she has a new message from a phone number she does not recognize. She opens it.

A:  _Hey, this is Emma. I wasn't sure what time you were going to get out of your big, important meeting, but if you are hungry afterwards, I thought that I would remind you that I still owe you a snack for buying my drinks this morning._

Regina smiles and dials the number from her message.

"Uh, hello?" Emma says, completely shocked that Regina is actually returning her call.

"Hi. So, I'm actually starving. And wherever we go, I hope that they have liquor." Regina says playfully but is completely serious.

Emma laughs. "Yes, ma'am. I know just the place that we can go, and I can meet you there in fifteen or twenty minutes."

Regina tells Emma that she will only meet her if she can also bother her for a ride back to the office later to pick up her things. Regina explains that she does not have her car and would have to leave her computer and her carry-on in her office so that she does not have to haul it around with her for the rest of the evening.

Emma agrees immediately, happy to have an excuse to spend even more time with the beautiful woman. She tells Regina the name of the bar and once she has all the information that she needs she hangs up, jumps off her couch, grabs her keys and flies out the door of her apartment.

* * *

 

Regina walks into the bar and finds that it was actually not as quiet as she thought it would be for Christmas Day and when she scans the room, she sees that there are mostly single people in the bar, sitting in the booths or high-topped tables alone. She sees the sign next to the host's podium instructing her to seat herself, so she walks up to a table closer to the bar and sits. She catches the eye of the bartender and the woman walks around towards her.

"Hi there. What can I getcha?" The woman asks.

"I will take a Grey Goose martini, extra dirty, extra olives, please." Regina says.

"Coming right up. And I'm Ruby. If there is anything you need, just holler, alright? Will you need a menu, too?"

Regina smiles. "Yes, please. Thank you, Ruby. Can I have two of them? I'm actually meeting a friend." Then she furrows her brow as she thinks about Emma.  _Well, kind of a friend. Really, she's a woman I just met. On a plane. God, what are you even doing here, Regina?_

"Here you go, lovely." Ruby says as she hands two menus to Regina. When Regina does not respond or take them from her, she leans over closer hoping to get the woman's attention. "Hey, you still there?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. I've just had a very long day. So, sorry. Thank you." Regina says, feeling badly for being obviously distracted.

Ruby waves away her apology. "Don't ever apologize for that. I'm a regular space cadet myself most days." Then she winks and walks away.

When Emma arrives at the bar, she looks around and instantly spots Regina sitting by herself at a tall table right by the bar. Coincidently, it is her regular high-top. She starts walking towards Regina and the closer she gets, the quicker her heart beats.  _Seriously, Swan, get it together, will you?_ "Hey, this seat taken?" Emma says with a nervous smile.

"Hi. And it is now." Regina says flirtatiously.

Emma chuckles and then pulls out the chair and eases herself up into it. "So, I see that you started without me." She says as she nods towards Regina's martini which is already almost all gone.

Regina pouts her lips out at Emma dramatically. "I'm sorry. I should have waited but I really needed this." Then she downs the rest of the drink in one gulp.

Emma frowns. "The meeting went that well, huh?"

"Ugh. I don't want to talk about the meeting. Can we please just talk about anything else?" Regina pleads.

Before Emma can speak again, she feels arms around her.

"Hey Sexy! Merry Christmas!" Ruby leans in and kisses Emma on the cheek.

Emma turns and smiles brightly at her friend and pulls her in for a tight hug. "Merry Christmas to you, too."

"How was New York? Did you and Julia screw like rabbits the whole time for a final hurrah?" Ruby says as she snorts with laughter.

"Ruby!" Emma shouts as she is completely embarrassed by Ruby's question. She looks over to see an amused look on Regina's face and feels her face heat up even more so.

"Oh, right. We can talk about that later." She laughs again before looking over at Regina. "You need another one of those." She says as she points to Regina's empty glass.

"I'd love another." Regina confirms.

Ruby grabs the empty martini glass and walks away.

"I take it you know each other?" Regina says to Emma once Ruby is behind the bar again.

"How very astute, Miss Mills." Emma replies with a grin.

Regina rolls her eyes. "Another one of your 'good friends'?" She asks.

"Yes. Ruby's great." When Emma sees the questioning look on Regina's face, her eyes widen. "OH, no! We're just friends. Ruby is my best friend. Geezus, it's not what you're thinking at all!"

Regina laughs and then shrugs. "Ah. She is awfully pretty."

Emma scoffs. "And awfully straight."

"Well, that's a shame." Regina says with a smile.

Emma narrows her eyes at Regina and opens her mouth to speak.

Before she can however, Ruby is back at their table with another martini for Regina and a drink for Emma as well. "Do you ladies want something to eat?"

"Yeah, I'll take my usual. Um, Regina, did you get a chance to look at the menu?" Emma asks.

Regina smiles. "Yes, but, what's your regular order?" She asks curiously.

"I just get a grilled cheese and fries." Emma says. "It's really good."

Regina hums. "I will have the grilled salmon Caesar salad, with dressing on the side if it isn't already mixed in."

Ruby smiles. "You got it. It will be right out."

They both watch as Ruby walks away and once she has disappeared behind the bar again, Emma turns back towards Regina. "So…" She begins awkwardly.

Regina smirks into her glass as she takes another drink. "So…" She mimics Emma.

Emma chuckles. "What am I supposed to talk to you about if I can't ask you about this meeting?"

"Let's talk about you. Tell me more about Julia. And about this last hurrah." Regina says with a wink.

"UGH!" Emma grunts as her face turns bright red.

Regina laughs again. She realizes then that she really needed this, especially after everything that just happened in that conference room. Just someone to laugh with. "We're both adults, Emma. You can talk to me about sex with your ex. I assure you that I'm not that squeamish."

"I don't doubt that. You're actually incredibly easy to talk to. I'm more worried about the fact that I just met you and I really don't want to leave you with a horrible impression of me." Emma says as she laughs nervously.

"Obviously, my impression of you is not a horrible one. I'm having a drink with you, aren't I?" Regina reasons.

Emma just shakes her head and sighs in defeat. "We didn't have sex…" Then she picks up her glass and takes a drink. "She wanted to. But, I just… I don't know. I probably should have, but it's not just sex to me, you know? I still have feelings for her. It wouldn't have been a good idea. I mean, not that the sex wouldn't have been good. Oh my god, it would have been amazing. Like it always is, but it wouldn't have been good for me. Mentally. Or emotionally."

Regina smiles sadly at Emma. She remembers that feeling all too well. When she realized that all Silas ever wanted from her was the sex and not a relationship, she was devastated. It was at that point that she hardened her heart and decided that she had to put herself first. Luckily, Silas was given a promotion to Vice President and transferred to the Los Angeles building shortly after they ended things. Even though she got her promotion long before he became the President, she is still subjected to the whispering behind her back, and the break room chatter that goes on about their illicit office affair. She is confident that her entire staff thinks they know exactly how she achieved her status within the company, even though she knows that she has earned it.

Emma continues. "I hate that I sound like such a lovesick teenager when I talk about her. That's why I'd rather just talk about your meeting."

Regina sighs but decides to give Emma a break from having to rehash her heartache. "The meeting was just about this big corporate deal. There is a company in the U.K. that wants to buy us in order to complete a market-extension merger with one of their other companies in Europe." Regina takes another drink of her martini. Saying it aloud makes it sound terribly real.

"So, is that a good thing? You don't sound like you think that it's a good thing. And you're the CEO, right? How come you didn't know what the meeting was about before you got back to Seattle?" Emma asks.

Regina laughs. "I was thinking the same thing. I was... am still shocked. And my boss and I sort of had words after the meeting." Regina sighs. "It has not really been my ideal Christmas."

Emma frowns. "I'm sorry. You and me both, I guess. Although, meeting you and talking to you has become the highlight of my day." Emma says shyly.

"Yes, I think it has for me as well." Regina says as she smiles genuinely at Emma.

When their food arrives, Ruby brings them each a glass of water as well. They eat mostly in a comfortable silence and Regina cannot remember the last time it was so easy for her to share her time with another person.

After they finish their meals and Ruby has cleared their dishes, Regina looks at her watch to see that it is already close to 7pm.

Emma is wiping her mouth when she sees Regina checking the time. She puts her napkin down on the table. "Do you need to go? You probably have work early in the morning."

Regina shrugs. "I took the next couple of days off. I won't have to be back in the office until Thursday. But I should go home. If you don't mind just dropping me off at home instead? I'll just pick my things up at the office tomorrow."

"Yeah, whatever you want." Emma says as she nods.

"What do you have going on tomorrow? I just realized that we've talked all day long about almost everything and I've not once asked you what you do." Regina says.

Emma chuckles. "I didn't even really think about it. I do a lot of things. I volunteer a lot but mostly, I'm a photographer. Freelance type things."

"Ahh…" Regina says. She wonders how Emma can afford to live in Seattle on her own as a freelance photographer but that may be a conversation for the next time they see each other, assuming that they will. "So, you work on your own schedule, then?"

"Something like that." Emma says with a smirk.

Regina laughs and shakes her head. "Do you ever give a straight answer to anything? I think you just like to keep everyone guessing. I take it that is just all a part of your charm."

"So, does that mean you think that I'm charming?" Emma asks with a cheeky grin.

Regina chuckles. "I think that you're something, alright. However, I wouldn't say charming is the word that comes to mind right away."

Emma laughs and then waves Ruby over, so she can ask for the bill.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: This chapter is not a very exciting one, but I wanted to give a bit more background so that I can write what I want to for the later chapters. To answer a few questions that I received in the reviews, NO, Regina and Silas will not end up together. Swanqueen is endgame here, but there will be a few hurdles before we get there. I hope that I haven't scared you off and that you stick around for it. And please continue to leave reviews or suggestions! I love reading your thoughts. Happy reading!***

As they drive up to where Regina lives, Emma looks over in surprise at the high rise she has just pulled up to.  _Oh, man._   _There's even a doorman. Geezus._ "So, home, sweet home, m'lady." Emma says as she tries to mask any nervousness in her voice that she might have.

Regina chuckles. "Thank you. And thanks again for dinner and the drinks."

"It was my pleasure. Thank you for spending your Christmas with me." Emma says with a smile.

Regina nods. She had completely forgotten that it was the holiday and she has still not made any phone calls home. She will have to do that as soon as she gets inside. "Well, thank you for sharing yours with me."

"Uh, thank you for calling me back?" Emma laughs. "Evidently, we can keep this going all night long."

Regina can see the blonde's green eyes twinkling as she laughs, and it makes her smile. "Let's save it for another day, shall we? I really should get upstairs and make some phone calls home."

"Ah, yes. You should probably do that. With it being the holiday and all." Emma says as she nods awkwardly at Regina. When she sees the smile on the woman's face brighten, she lightheartedly continues. "So, am I right to assume that there will be another day, then? I mean, we'll see each other again?"

Regina smirks. "Well, I do happen to have the next two days off and honestly, I don't even want to think about work at all until I have to be in the office again. Do you have anything going on tomorrow or Wednesday?"

Emma bites down on her lower lip as she thinks about her schedule. "Tomorrow is Ruby's day off and I told her we can do whatever she wants to since I've been in New York for the last couple of weeks. And Wednesday, I have to work…"

"Ahh…" Regina shrugs. "Maybe when we are both less busy, then? You know how to contact me and I now have your phone number as well." She reaches for the handle of the car door and opens it.

"Actually, you could come with me?" Emma says before Regina can get out of the car.

Regina turns back towards Emma to see that the woman is beaming at her. She shuts the door again. "Pardon?"

"I mean, you could come with me to work on Wednesday. It'll be fun. I promise."

Regina narrows her eyes at Emma, but she has to admit that she is intrigued by the proposition. Then she shrugs again. "And I suppose that you're not going to tell me where it is that we are going until we are actually there?"

Emma laughs. "It will be much more fun if it is a surprise. I can pick you up on Wednesday around eleven. We can have brunch or something and then you can come with me onsite."

Regina just shakes her head but smiles at the absurdity of it. "Sure, alright. I'll bite. Wednesday, at eleven. Send me a message when you're on your way and I can give you my door number or come down and meet you."

"Okay." Emma says with a nod. "I look forward to it. And I hope you have a good night."

Regina smiles. "Good night, Emma." She says as she exits the car and walks towards the front of the building.

Emma watches as Regina walks into the building. The brunette stops to talk to the doorman and he looks as if he is genuinely happy to see her. Then Emma continues to watch as she leans in to give him a tight hug before walking away, further into the building.

Emma considers for a moment everything that has happened today. Meeting and then striking up a very quick friendship with a woman who just happened to be sitting in the same row on her flight. It all sounds so crazy, even to her. But, before she can overthink any of it, she looks in her rearview mirror, turns on her blinker, and drives off towards her apartment.

* * *

"That son of a bitch!" Zelena says trying to do so as quietly as possible so that her parents do not hear her from the other room. "I don't even know what you ever saw in that man in the first place. He's an arrogant asshole."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Zee, you really need to stop cursing so much. You're going to be a mom soon."

"Whatever. Right now, I'm pissed. How could he not tell you about any of this until today? And on Christmas!? UGH! He's infuriating. You should be angry! Are you angry? How come you don't sound angry..."

"Zee…" Regina begins.

Zelena cuts Regina off before she can finish her sentence. "Don't you dare defend him, Gina! You always do that. Every single time I or anyone else has something to say about that bastard."

"I do not!" Regina argues. "And I'm not trying to defend him. I just really want to talk about something else. Zee, please."

Zelena sighs. "Fine. I just can't believe that you left all of us to go back to that."

Regina frowns. "I'm sorry that I missed Christmas for this stupid meeting. I will make it up to you. I'll fly out again in a couple of months or when you have the baby, okay?"

"You better." Zelena says. Even though she wants to be, she cannot stay mad at Regina. She was really looking forward to spending the week with her baby sister, but she knows how much this job means to her. It has been so difficult because the two of them have not really had much time together since her husband Harry accepted this job in New York and they had to relocate there. It has been such a tough transition living so far away from her best friend.

"Of course. I promise." Regina reassures her. "So, how was today? Did you guys have a good day? How's Mom and Dad?"

"Oh, you know how Mom is. She wouldn't shut up about how she thinks that Silas has turned you into a bitter old maid. Wait until I tell her about this whole thing. She's going to have a conniption." Zelena laughs.

"Zee! Can we not take it there, please? They don't even have to know about what happened today. Stop stirring the pot." Regina pleads.

"Fine. But you know that she will never let any of this go until you bring someone home with you."

Regina rolls her eyes and ignores her sister's statement. "How's Daddy?"

"He's fine. He felt so guilty after you left this morning because he thought you were upset with him. He only said what he said because Mom was driving him crazy. You know that, right?"

"Yes. Of course, I know that. I wasn't upset, just frustrated." Regina sighs.

"Yeah, I know you were. So, what did you do after your meeting? Hopefully you didn't stay at home all day and pout about that bastard." Zelena says.

"I've been over it for a long time already. I don't know how many times I have to tell you. He means nothing to me. Just because I can't cut him off completely because he's my boss does not mean that I'm still fawning over him." Regina says.

Zelena rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. So, what'd you do then?"

"Actually, I went out." Regina says nonchalantly.

"Out? Out where?" Zelena asks. "Where could you possibly go?"

"To this little bar..." Regina says trying very hard not to divulge too much.

"That was open today? On Christmas? What'd you do at a bar?" Zelena asks.

"Zee, who are you right now? Barbara Walters? What else would I do at a bar? I had a few drinks and I had an early dinner. And then I got dropped off at home and now I'm here talking with you. What's with all these questions?" Regina asks as she is starting to get more and more frustrated with the conversation.

Zelena hesiZees for a second. "Wait. Who dropped you off?"

 _Shit._ Regina grunts softly when she realizes that she has said too much."It was just someone that I was sitting next to on the plane. We talked during the flight and then afterwards, I gave her my contact information and she invited me out for a drink after the meeting."

"Hmmm. You met her on the plane? How serendipitous." Zelena says as she laughs.

"Zelena don't start." Regina warns.

"Let me guess, she's blonde, leggy, and has some sort of epic flaw?" Zelena snorts this time as she continues to tease Regina.

"What? Why does that even matter?" Regina asks, her frustration growing once again.

"Because you totally have a type. And you don't talk to strangers on planes. You don't talk to anyone at all, most of the time." Zelena says.

Zelena is not wrong. Emma is certainly beautiful and definitely her type. If she were looking for a relationship, she would probably ask Emma out on a date. But, she is quite committed to being single and judging from what she has learned about Emma and her recent breakup, the other woman is not ready for anything serious either. If anything, that circumstance alone is enough to deter her from even considering it. Regina sighs. "I'm done with you and this conversation. Will you please put Mom or Dad on the phone, so I can wish them a Merry Christmas before they go to bed?"

"You do know that you're going to have to give me more details eventually, especially if you want me to keep it a secret from Mom." Zelena adds cheekily.

"There are no details to give. She's a woman that I met on the plane. We had a good conversation and I thought that we could be friends. It's that simple."

"Sis, it's never that simple." Then before Regina can refute, she continues. "Anyway! I love you. Call you soon. MOM! it's Regina."

Regina rolls her eyes and waits patiently for one of her parents to take the phone from her annoying big sister.

* * *

"I still can't believe that you spent nearly a full two weeks in New York with Julia and you guys didn't do the nasty." Ruby says as she leans her body into a particularly sharp turn on the race course. It was a surprisingly nice day for it being December in Seattle, so they spent their morning out and about, having lunch, shopping, and then grabbing coffee at their favorite coffee shop before ultimately returning to Emma's apartment for some Super Mario Kart.

Emma makes a face in disgust. "Rubes, why do you have to call it that? You make it sound so crude."

"Because after the way she threw your ass out, it obviously wouldn't be called making love." Ruby says as she snorts with laughter.

Emma takes her eyes away from the television for a moment so that she can turn and shove her best friend. "You're such an ass." She says before returning to the game.

"Hey! You made me throw my red turtle shell by accident. I was saving that." Ruby says, but there is no real crossness in her voice.

"It serves you right." Emma says in a huff.

Ruby sighs. "C'mon. You know that I'm only asking because I expected you to give in to her. You always do. I'm just shocked that you didn't come back here with some well-thought out plan of winning her back. Julia has always been like a beacon calling your lost ship to shore or something. I was honestly really worried about you."

"That's exactly why I couldn't do it. I still love her and if anything would have happened while I was there, I would have just stayed in New York." Emma has to admit, that thought had crossed her mind more than a few times while she was there. "Anyway, I have to move on. I'm swearing off women, Rubes. Especially the straight ones."

"Uh huh. So, what about that chick from the bar yesterday?" Ruby had almost forgotten to ask Emma about the pretty brunette. She has heard her best friend swear off women many times before and it is almost comical how the universe seems to hear her cry and then almost immediately have her cross paths with the next beautiful siren.

"What about her?" Emma asks.

"I mean, you two seemed pretty cozy with each other. She was definitely flirting with you."

"You think so?" Emma smiles. Regina is undoubtedly beautiful, and she did pick up a few flirtatious vibes while they were hanging out, but she is not even close to being ready to date anyone new. She recalls the nervousness that she was feeling yesterday around the woman and when she got home, she had to remind herself it is that exact feeling that keeps constantly making trouble for her.

"Oh please, you know that she was. You're not that oblivious, Emma Swan." Ruby says. "So, what's her story anyway?"

Emma shrugs. "I don't know. She's just some random lady I met on the plane."

"Oh, so, just some random lady. Right. Who just so happens to be gorgeous and took the time to meet you on Christmas Day at the bar?" Ruby laughs. "That sounds more than just random to me, Em."

"I'm not making it up! You know how I hate flying, right? She saw that I was losing my shit and was super sweet about it. She bought me a drink and then we ended up talking almost the entire flight." Emma says as she is remembering it all. She also thinks about how Regina had taken and held her hand while the plane was making a landing into Sea-Tac.  _But, Ruby doesn't really need to know about that._

"Well, she's super hot. She could at least be a good rebound if not anything else." Ruby says.

Emma rolls her eyes. "I'm not looking for a rebound. I just told you that I still love Jules."

"DAMMIT!" Ruby says as she loses another round of Mario Kart to Emma. She tosses her controller onto the coffee table. "I almost had you that time! Anyway, I know you still love her. But, it's not gonna happen, babe. And I think that you need a distraction."

Emma puts her controller down as well and sighs. She wonders if Ruby is right. When she was being dropped off to the airport yesterday, she was so miserable. She recalls Julia hugging her so tightly that she felt she could not breathe but immediately realized that it was her heart that was feeling the tightness and not her body. Then, right before she walked into the airport, Julia pulled her back and kissed her. The kiss made everything so blurry again, but it also felt so final. Just like the very end of a movie or the closing scene of a play. "I'm seeing her again tomorrow." Emma says finally, her eyes still slightly glazed over.

"Who? Julia?" Ruby asks.

"No, Regina. I am taking pictures for the kiddos tomorrow and I am gonna take her with me." Emma says.

"Whoa, Swan. That's a huge move right there. Also, you know you're gonna charm the pants right off of her when she realizes that you're such a saint." Ruby teases.

"Whatever. You know why I do it. There's nothing saint-like about it. If anything, it's selfish. And It's not a big deal. We kinda talked about my photography a bit yesterday so it's something she knows about me already. I'm not really giving away my life and soul here." Emma explains.

"Still. It's sort of a big move for you, I think. You just met her. I didn't get to go on these excursions with you until long after we met. And you never really took Julia either." Ruby says.

"You were always too busy. And Julia never wanted to come." Emma says irritably. "She always thought that I could be doing other things with my time."

Ruby shakes her head because she really does not want to open this can of worms. Not tonight, not ever again. "Well, all of that aside, I'm glad that you're seeing her again."

"Ruby, she's-"

Ruby raises her hand to stop Emma. "Even if she's just a friend! What's her name again?"

"Regina."

"Regina. Right. Well, she seems like she's a ballbuster. You could use someone like that in your life." Ruby says with a smirk.

Emma laughs. "Why would I need another someone like that when I already have you, ya big jerk."

"That true, except I would never let you take me to bed. That's the only reason that you've kept me around for as long as you have." Ruby laughs and then winks at her friend.

Emma reaches behind her to grab a cushion off of the couch above them and swings it, smacking Ruby in the face causing her friend to squeal. "Who says that I want to bed you anyway, you ham."

"Please, I'm totally your type and you know it. If I wasn't already dating Chad when we first met, you would have asked me out."

Emma rolls her eyes again. "Rubes, you and Chad never dated. You were just screwing him. And you told me every disgusting detail of your sex life, what? The second time we hung out? That would be why I never considered asking you out."

Ruby pouts. "But you still loved me, right?"

"Oh, no doubt. I've loved you since the very first night we met. Just never wanted to get into your pants." Emma smiles. "Because woman, you are nasty." Then Emma laughs. When Ruby swings the couch cushion at her, she puts her arms up in defense. After they both stop laughing, she picks up her controller again and scrolls through the game menu. "C'mon, let's play one more round. Loser buys dinner!"

Ruby shrugs. "Yeah, why not. The one with Rainbow Road?"

Emma is laughing again. "Yeah, okay. I guess you're buying dinner then."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: Happy Friday! I really liked writing this chapter and I hope that you enjoy reading it just as much. This is the part where we start to learn a little but more about Emma. It is absolutely my intention to keep it a bit mysterious, but I promise that any questions that you might have will be answered in later chapters. Leave me your thoughts!***

When Emma drives up to Regina's building, she almost does not recognize the woman that is standing outside waiting for her. Regina does not have on her glasses today, and her hair is pulled back into a tiny ponytail. She is wearing a flannel top, jeans, and long riding boots. It is a complete one-eighty from the woman in full business attire and four-inch heels that Emma remembers from their previous meeting. She pulls over to the curb and quickly gets out of the car so that she can go around to open the door for Regina.

Regina smiles. "Hi." Then she steps back and Emma squeezes in between her and the door. "Oh. How very chivalrous of you." She says with a chuckle.

Emma returns the smile. "Hello, and good morning to you, pretty lady."

Regina smiles at the compliment before climbing into the car, letting Emma closes the door for her.

Emma walks back around and quickly jumps back into the driver seat. "I hope that you're hungry. This place that we're going to has really gigantic meals." Emma says as she checks all of her mirrors, waiting for the passing cars so that she can be on her way.

"Yes, I can definitely eat. I had a really early dinner last night." Regina says as she thinks about how grateful she is that Emma already has a destination in mind for them to have brunch.

"So, you weren't actually kidding when you said that these dishes were large." Regina says as she pushes her plate away. "I don't think that I can eat another bite."

Emma laughs. "Yeah. This place is always good after a long night of drinking."

"Ahh. ONe of yours and Ruby's favorite places, I assume." Regina says.

Emma nods. "When I first met Ruby, we used to go out a lot. All the money that I made back then was spent on drinking and partying. So, we would end up here three of four days a week."

Regina just shakes her head as she smiles back at Emma. "That's really quite impressive. I'm glad to see your liver survived it."

Emma laughs. "I very glad it did as well. What about you? You can't tell me that you didn't have a wild streak. I don't think that I would believe that."

Regina just shakes her head. "I never really had any good friends to get into trouble with. In fact, my best friend is still my big sister. Before she moved to New York, we had an apartment together and she spent a lot of time with her boyfriend, who is now her husband, and I spent a lot of time just studying or reading."

"Well, lucky we met when we did then and not years before." Emma says lightheartedly.

The statement baffles Regina. "Why do you say that?"

Emma sighs, her demeanor changing to a more somber one. "Because, had we met back then, you probably wouldn't have befriended me as easily. Honestly, you probably would have thought that I was a hot mess and a drunk. Which wouldn't be completely inaccurate."

"Well, we all have our stories." Regina says and she wonders if there is more to what Emma is trying to say, but she does not push the woman to speak. Instead, she changes the subject. "So, are you still not going to tell me where we are going after this?"

Emma nods her head as she finishes her bite of chocolate chip pancake, not really wanting to talk with her mouth so full. She replies as soon as she swallows her bite. "You'll see soon enough. Stop being so impatient."

Regina scoffs. "I'm not being impatient. But I'm not entirely sure yet that you're not some serial killer trying to whisk me away to someplace where no one will be able to find my body." She adds playfully.

Emma laughs. "Well, I kinda feel like the first rule in kidnapping and abduction would probably be that you don't take the victim out to brunch first. But I don't really know anything about that line of work. I'm just a photographer. It is really the only think that I'm good at. So, I'm taking you some place where I'll be taking pictures." She laughs and when she sees their server walking in their direction, she waves her over so that she can give the woman her bank card.

"Emma, you don't have to buy again. You paid for my dinner the other night." Regina says even though it is too late because the server has already walked off.

Emma smiles. "Well, I was the one that asked you to come out today." She says.

"No, I was the one that asked if you had free time today." Regina argues. "But anyway, thank you for breakfast."

"You're very welcome. Now, let's see…" Emma pulls out her phone so that she can check the time. "It looks like we will be right on time. And I guess that I should have asked this before, but do you like kids?"

Regina raises her brow. "Yes…" She says. "I believe that I do…" She trails off, still very curious about Emma's intentions.

Emma beams at Regina just as the server brings her card back, along with the receipts and a pen. Emma signs, puts her card away, and gets up to put her jacket on. "Great. This is going to be fun. Let's go."

They eventually arrive at a children's hospital and Regina is more than a little surprised. The drive over was quiet and Emma seemed lost in her own thoughts so she thought it best not to strike up any unwanted conversation unless it is Emma who initiates.

Once they park, Emma turns and gives Regina a small smile. "You ready?"

Regina just nods and returns her smile.

They both get out of the car and Emma walks around to the back of the car where she has all of her equipment. She assembles her camera and picks a few lenses that she knows would be perfect for the lighting inside the hospital, but also one for if they decide to take pictures outside. When Regina asks if she can help, she hands Regina her camera bag to carry while she opts to carry some of the bulkier equipment herself.

They walk in silence up to the front of the building and once they are inside, Regina follows Emma to where the elevators are located. Neither of them speaks again until they are inside the elevator.

"I used to hate hospitals." Emma admits. "I still don't really care for them to be honest, but I've met some really incredible people at this one."

Regina nods, unsure of what to say.

"I should probably tell you also that the kids that we are here to see are all very sick. But you will never be able to tell because they are all so full of life." Emma says. "It really kinda puts you in your place sometimes."

"So, you take pictures of them?" Regina asks finally.

Emma turns towards Regina and smiles. "Yes, but it's more like a photoshoot. You'll see when we get there."

The elevator dings and the doors open. Emma walks out into the corridor and Regina continues to follow her. When they get to the end of the hall, Regina sees that they are entering the oncology wing.

"Emma!" One of the nurses calls out from behind her desk.

Emma smiles. "Hey, Deb. How are you?"

"As well as can be expected." Debbie answers. "And who might this be?" She asks obviously referring to Regina.

"Oh! Deb, this is Regina. She's a good friend of mine. Regina, this is Debbie. She is the head nurse in oncology."

Regina nods and smiles. "It's very nice to meet you Debbie."

"Likewise. And any friend of Emma's is certainly a friend of ours. Please call me Deb." Debbie says with a bright smile.

"So, are the kiddos ready for their big shoot?" Emma asks as a smiles spreads across her face.

"Are they ever? Most of them would not go to sleep last night they were so excited. They are all dressed and ready for you and you will find everyone already hanging out in the larger playroom. Just holler if you need any of us." Debbie says.

Emma nods. "Of course. Will do." Then she turns to Regina with an excited smile on her face. "Let's go."

Regina nods as she grips onto the strap of Emma's camera a little bit tighter. She thinks about how all of this seems like an awful lot for her to take in, and she has a lot of questions for Emma. She feels herself get more and more anxious at the idea of spending her afternoon with sick children, not because they are ill, but because she is not sure how much her heart will be able to handle it all.

All of that quickly goes away when Emma opens the door to the playroom and they are greeted with the happy shouts and exuberant smiles of at least fifteen or sixteen children of all ages, all of them dressed in costumes of all sorts. Some of them are dressed in princess dresses with matching tiaras while others are in superhero capes and leotards. There is even one little girl who is dressed as Princess Leia from Star Wars, while another one is dressed as Chewbacca.

As soon as Emma puts down her equipment, a little boy runs up towards her so she happily swoops him up into her arms.

"Emma! You're here!" He says with a brilliant smile on his face.

"Hey buddy! I'm here! And what are you supposed to be?" Emma asks as she leans back to look at his outfit.

The boy giggles. "A racecar driver! Just like Daddy."

"Ahh...I see it now. Very cool, buddy." Emma says before putting him back down onto the ground. "Hey you guys, I brought a friend with me today so she can help us with our special project. Her name is Regina. Can you guys say hi?"

They all shout it out at once and Regina cannot help but smile at how adorable they all are. "Hi everybody. You all look so great." Regina says enthusiastically.

"Okay, guys, so here's the plan. We're going to do this like we always do. We'll put on a movie and then we'll take turns, okay? Last time we started with the boys so this time the girls go first. Got it?" Emma says.

"GOT IT!" Everyone replies.

Emma looks over at Regina and winks at her.

Regina helps Emma with posing some of the children for their pictures and when she is not needed, she is playing with the other children that are waiting for their turn. She thinks back to what Emma said to her earlier about these children. None of them seem like they are sick but Regina knows that their permanent residence in the oncology wing of the hospital must mean that their illnesses are quite serious. She glances over at Emma for a moment and sees the woman laughing hysterically at something one of the boys has said to her and she cannot help smiling at the sight of it.

When everyone has had their picture taken, Emma asks everyone to stand together so that she can get a group shot of all of them. She takes a few of them before she feels a tap on her shoulder.

"Why don't you get in there with them? I can take one of all of you." Regina suggests.

Emma thinks about it for a second and smiles. "I would love that actually. If you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind." She reaches for the camera and gently removes the strap from around Emma's neck, putting it around her own.

"Okay guys, I'm gonna sit in the middle and Regina is going to take a picture of all of us." Emma says.

The room erupts in shouts and giggles which only makes Regina smile wider. "All right, is everyone ready? Say cheese."

"CHEEEEEEEESE!" They all shout and Emma's voice and cheesy smile is just as endearing as all the children.

Regina is able to get a few good shots of them before everyone is laughing and trying to talk over one another once again. Regina takes the opportunity to snap a few more candid ones before reaching into her pocket for her cell phone. She turns it to camera mode and takes a few more for herself to keep smiling at how happy everyone looks in all of them.

Emma is finally able to break away and crawls her way towards where Regina is standing. She then pushes herself back onto her feet and takes a second to catch her breath. "Thank you." She says to Regina.

Regina takes the camera from around her neck and hands it back to the blonde. "You're welcome. Thank you for inviting me. I had a very good time." She adds.

Emma smiles again before turning her attention back to the children. "Alright guys, I have to get Regina back home and I have to start working on these pictures so I can bring them to you the next time I come visit."

There is a mix of groans and whining from the group but just as Emma is going to speak again, Debbie comes into the room. "Are you guys all finished?"

"Perfect timing as always, Nurse Deb." Emma says with a wink.

Debbie laughs. "Alright everyone, it's time to say goodbye to Emma and Regina so we can do snacks and medicine."

Everyone reluctantly says goodbye as the little boy dressed as a racecar driver walks over and tugs at Regina's boot. When Regina looks down at him, he reaches his arms up requesting to be picked up. Regina looks over at Emma who has an amused expression on her face. Emma nods towards the boy and Regina finally reaches down and picks him up.

"Gina, will you be coming with Emma to visit us again?" The boy asked.

"Uh, of course. If you would like me to." Regina replies.

The little boy just nods. "Yes. You're very pretty."

Emma laughs loudly before she reaches over and takes the boy from Regina. "Braxton, you little weasel. Always trying to steal my girls." Then she tickles him in his belly eliciting a fit of giggles from the boy before putting him back onto the ground.

Regina blushes at Emma's implication but the other woman does not seem to notice.

When they are all finished with their goodbyes, they walk back towards the elevators and then out of the hospital and towards Emma's car.

"How often do you come visit the kids?" Regina asks as they are organizing Emma's photography equipment.

"I try to make it out once a month. But with the holidays and everything, it's honestly been a while." Emma admits. "They are all such great kids. Annie, the girl in the Cinderella dress wants to be an artist, and Nina, the tiny thing in the Chewbacca costume, wants to travel to space to meet aliens." Emma says as she nods for emphasis. "Braxton has been in and out of there since I met him three years ago. He has two dads that work their asses off and they love him so much."

Regina smiles. "And one of them is a racecar driver, right?" She asks remembering that Braxton had mentioned that just earlier.

Emma laughs. "Yeah, he told me that he used to do a lot of racing cars and motocross before Brax was born. That kid idolizes both of his dads. The other one is a tax accountant, I think. So, that doesn't really make for a very good costume.

Regina laughs. "You're very good with children."

Emma shrugs. "Yeah, well, it's because I'm a big kid myself."

"There might be some truth to that." Regina says teasingly. "But mostly, I think that you just have a very good heart, Emma."

Emma feels her face warm at Regina's compliment but it also makes her feel a slight pang of guilt. She pushes that feeling away and smiles hoping that Regina does not sense how uneasy she feels. "So, shall we get you home?" Emma asks as she closes the hatch to her SUV.

"I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to go grab a quick drink. No pressure, of course."

"Oh. Sure. I mean, I don't have any other plans. And a drink sounds nice." Emma says as she nods. "Anywhere you'd like to go in particular?"

Regina shakes her head. "I think we may have passed a few places on our way here. Anywhere close by will be fine."

"Hmm. I think that I know where we can go. There's a Mexican restaurant just down the way. How do you feel about Tequila?" Emma asks.

Regina grimaces. "I can't say that it's my first choice but I'm sure that I should be able to find something to my liking." She says.

They both get into the car and wait for a few minutes, giving the car some time to warm up. Then, Emma shifts into gear and drives off in the direction of the restaurant.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: I think that my favorite scenes to write are the ones where nothing of huge importance really happens, but it still somehow adds to the big picture. I know that as readers, you don't really know what the big picture is as of yet, but that makes it even more important for me to portray Emma and Regina in a way that I feel may add to the overall story. This update will probably leave you with a lot of questions so I'm going to apologize ahead of time. Please keep reading! I try to post a new chapter every Friday and next week's chapter will be a good one! Let me know your thoughts. ***

"Are you sure you aren't hungry?" Emma asks again, feeling slightly guilty that she ordered food when Regina did not.

Regina nods as she takes another sip of her margarita before putting the glass back down. "We just had that huge lunch less than a few hours ago. I'm surprised, and quite frankly, very impressed, that you can eat again so soon."

Emma chuckles as she pats her stomach with both hands. "Well, I'm a growing girl, dontcha know." Then she begins digging into her overflowing plate of nachos.

"You are very lucky that you're still at the age that you can eat whatever you want, and however much you like, without any repercussions. It will catch up with you eventually." Regina warns, no real seriousness in her tone.

Emma eyes Regina curiously. Then she takes a drink of her beer to wash down her bite of food. "How old do you think I am exactly? I doubt that I'm even younger than you are." Emma says teasingly, knowing very well that Regina has to be at least a few years older than she is.

"You most certainly are younger than I am." Regina says without pause.

Emma chuckles. "Okay, okay. How old are you?" She asks with a grin.

Regina just shakes her head. "Nice try."

"Aww, c'mon. Humor me." Emma says as she watches Regina roll her eyes. "Okay, alright. How old do you think I am?"

"In your twenties." Regina says surely.

Emma laughs. "You can't just guess a whole decade."

Regina smiles as she picks her glass up again for another drink. "Fine. Late-twenties."

"Alright. Pretty darn close. I just turned twenty-nine last October. Your turn." She asks again hopefully, but Regina does not budge. "Seriously? Are you really not going to tell me how old you are?"

"Really." Regina says with a smirk.

Emma squints her eyes at the brunette sitting across from her. "I'll find out eventually." She smirks to herself as she turns her attention back to her plate.

They are only quiet for a short moment longer before Regina speaks up again. "So, when do you think you will have all the photographs that you took today ready to bring back to the hospital? I would really like to see them some time."

Emma nods at Regina, as she is still chewing her food. "Actually…" She reaches over to her bag and pulls out a small computer. Then she slides her hand into her pants pocket and pulls out a memory card. She boots the computer up, slides the memory card into the slot on the side and waits a moment. "Gimme just one second and they should all be loaded on here so you can see them."

Regina smiles excitedly. "Great. I never knew that hospitals contracted out photographers for their patients, but I'm very happy that they do. It is such a wonderful idea. All of the children looked so happy today." Regina says genuinely. "I think that you really made their day. Do you work for other hospitals in Seattle as well?"

Emma shakes her head. "Nah. My gramps was the head of Oncology at that one. So, a lot of the doctors and nurses there know me." Emma says, trying not to divulge too much because she really does not want to talk about her grandfather in detail.

"Oh..." Regina says. Before she can continue, Emma turns the computer towards her and she is suddenly looking at a screenful of the happy, smiling faces of Emma and all of the children. It is one of the pictures that Regina had taken at the very end of Emma's session. She clicks on the photo to the right of the one that is currently selected. In the photo, Emma is looking at the little girl dressed as Chewbacca who is standing to the right of where she is sitting and she looks like she is about to let out a hearty laugh. You can just see the joy in her eyes. She smiles to herself remembering that she was able to capture a few of those moments on her cellphone as well. Then she scrolls to the very top of the files and sees all the photos that Emma had taken of each child. Some of the candid ones were so full of expression and the sight of it makes Regina's heart tighten in her chest. "Emma…" She says barely above a whisper. "These are phenomenal."

Emma smiles. "I'm sure that you're over-exaggerating." She says before shyly adding, "a photographer is only as great as her subject. Those kids are really the phenomenal ones."

Regina looks up and away from the screen to smile at Emma. "The kids will love their photos, Emma. And I mean it, they are all really great. Look at Braxton." Regina laughs as she scrolls through the dozen pictures or so of Braxton dressed as a race car driver. "He's has the cutest expressions."

Emma smiles as she watches Regina. The woman's smile can light up a whole room. She does not want to compare her to Julia but she can hardly stop her brain from taking her back to the first time she brought Julia with her to the hospital. Sure, Julia liked the kids, but after it was all over and done, she made sure to remind Emma that she could be using her talents elsewhere, and with gigs that actually paid. Emma frowns.

Regina can feel Emma looking in her direction. When she looks up from the screen again, she sees that the blonde seems to be lost in thought. She studies her for a moment wondering what she can be thinking about when she sees Emma's brow furrow and her expression turn to a more serious one. "Emma?"

This shakes Emma from her thoughts of Julia. "Huh?"

"I think that I lost you for a moment there. Is everything alright?" Regina asks, slightly worried that she may have done or said something to make Emma upset.

"Yeah...Yes. I'm fine. Just thinking about something that doesn't matter anymore." Emma says honestly, before looking down and her plate, trying to find her appetite again.

Regina nods slowly. She is certain that Emma is thinking about her recent heartbreak and knows better than to ask or bring it up. So, instead, she tries something that she thinks may change Emma's current mood. "Thirty-five."

Emma looks up once again and shakes her head in confusion. "What?"

"You asked me my age earlier. I'm thirty-five. I'll be thirty-six in February."

Emma's expression changes to one of pure delight. "Wow. You are older." She says with a wide grin.

Regina narrows her eyes at Emma. "Watch it. I am quite capable of destroying you."

Emma puts both of her hands up in surrender. "Whoa, there. I was just gonna say that one, it's very hot. And Secondly, you look amazing. Whatever you are doing, it's working."

"Much better." Regina says chuckling.

Emma shakes her head with a chuckle of her own. "So are you ready to go back to work tomorrow? Did you have a good couple of days away?"

"UGH." Regina says as she sighs. "No, I'm not. I was supposed to be spending this time with my family and I only really had those two short days with them."

Emma frowns. "Well, this may make you feel worse, but I'm very glad things happened the way that they did. We wouldn't have met each other otherwise."

Regina smiles. "Well, you are the one and only good thing to come out of this whole mess, but, I still could really use the rest of the week off as well. I think I may have forgotten how nice it is to take time off without having plans of any sort. I read a whole book yesterday. I haven't been able to just sit down and read in a very long time."

Emma smiles.. "You only have to work tomorrow and Friday. Then you have the weekend again. And I'm assuming you have next Monday off also. It's New Year's Day."

"Yes, I do…" Regina trails off thinking about the company party that will be taking place this weekend. She is not exactly looking forward to it and she wishes that she can just skip it altogether, but that, unfortunately, is not an option. Then she wonders what Emma is doing on New Year's Eve. In all the years that she has forced herself to make an appearance at the event, she has not once brought a date along with her. Even when her and Silas were enjoying each other's company outside of work, they never went to the ball together. His reasoning being that he wanted to minimize the office gossip that was already going on about the two of them, but she knows very well now that it was because he was never particularly interested in anything more than just the occasional rendezvous between the sheets.  _If Emma accompanied me to the ball this year, it would probably be a much better time than all the other years combined._

"Whatcha thinking about over there?" Emma asks playfully. "Must be something good. You have the most wicked smile on your face right now."

Regina's smile just grows wider. "Wouldn't you like to know." She says before reaching over, stealing a loaded chip from Emma's plate, and putting it into her mouth with a loud crunch.

Emma just laughs and shakes her head. "So, anyway, like I was saying before your head went into the clouds, you just need to get through two days and then you have another three-day weekend." She says with another brilliant smile.

Regina nods. "Yes, but I just get a feeling that it is going to be the longest two days. What will you be doing for the next few days? Do you have more work scheduled?"

"Not really. I'll just be working on editing these photos. I'll probably just stay in and veg." Emma says.

"How nice. I think that I want your job." Regina teases.

Emma just smiles as she pushes her plate away. "Do you want anymore of this? I think that I'm done."

"No, thank you." Regina says. She can see by some of Emma's body language that she really does not like to talk about her work or go into very much detail about what she does with her time. It makes her suspicious but at the same time, she reminds herself that they have only known each other for a few days. She can understand why anyone would be hesitant to open up. "Did you want to order another beer or are you ready to drop me off so you can enjoy the rest of your evening?" She asks with a smile.

"I don't need another beer. Did you want anything else?" Emma asks.

Regina just shakes her head. "And I am getting the bill this time. Don't you dare fight me for it." She says as she reaches into her bag for her wallet, pulling it out and placing it on the table.

Emma laughs. "Fine. And I wouldn't fight you anyway. I tend to believe it when a beautiful woman tells me that they are capable of destroying me. I will not be taking any chances."

Regina laughs. "Good."

* * *

Regina is finishing up with filing away some of her work emails when her phone starts to ring. When she sees who is calling, she reaches for it and answers quickly. "Hey, Sis."

"REGINA! OH MY GOD!" Zelena practically screams into the phone.

"Zee! What the hell. What is going on? Are you alright?" Regina asks as she closes her computer and walks out of her study and into the living room.

"The baby kicked me just now. And I tried to take a picture of it so I could send it to you. But the little nugget won't do it again." Zelena says.

"Maybe it's because the baby is angry with you for referring to it as a nugget." Regina says as she rolls her eyes.

Zelena lets out a hearty laugh. "Well, it's going to be nugget until we can come up with a name."

"I'm guessing the reason that you don't have a name yet is because Harry has not been able to convince you to find out the sex of the baby?" Regina says as she pulls a bottle out of her wine cooler.

"I don't want to know the sex of the baby. I want it to be a surprise." Zelena whines.

Regina chuckles. "I know that you don't. So pick out two names and then apply the one that makes the most sense later."

"Or, we can just decide on one gender-neutral name." Zelena reasons.

"You're barking up the wrong tree here. I'm not the one that wants to name your son Harold Jr."

"UGH. Why did I have to fall in love with and marry a man named Harold in the first place?" Zelena says in the most dramatic way.

In the background, Regina can hear her brother-in-law saying something in his own defense. It was either that or something snarky to counter Zelena's comment but she could barely make out the words. But, when she hears her sister laugh at his comment, she smiles at how sweet the two of them are together. She immediately pushes away any thoughts of envy and instead, she removes the cork from her bottle of wine with a loud pop before reaching into her cabinet for a glass. "You two are so impossible."

"So, what have you been doing all day? You didn't have work today, right?" Zelena asks, trying to initiate a bit more conversation with her younger sister.

Regina takes a drink of her wine and contemplates lying about her day. But, there really was not point to it because she has nothing to hide. "I spent most of the day with Emma."

"Emma? OH! Is she the chick from the other day?" Zelena asks excitedly.

Regina rolls her eyes. "Yes, Zee. She's the woman that I met on the plane."

"What did you two do today? Was it a date?" Zelena asks inquisitively.

"No! We aren't dating! She had a job to do today, photographing children at the hospital, and she invited me to go with her. That is all it was." Regina says.

"Taking pictures? Of children? In the hospital?" Zelena asks trying to wrap her head around the whole strange scenario.

Regina sighs. "It was a photoshoot for the children in the oncology wing of the hospital."

"Oh...wow. That's really heavy. Definitely not a date, then." Zelena says.

"Zee!"

"I know, I know. I wasn't trying to sound insensitive, alright! It just seems like a very difficult thing to do and I was trying to lighten it up a bit. That's all, I promise."

"Well, it was actually quite nice. They were all really amazing. I have a few pictures that I took on my phone actually. I'll send them to you when we hang up." Regina says.

"Alright." Zelena says with a smile. "Oh, I remember what I really wanted to ask you. Did you ever pick out a dress for the ball this weekend?"

"Yes. I decided on the long, shimmery one." Regina says with a smile as she thinks about how much she loved the dress the second she had it on.

"Oh, yes! I love that one! You're going to look so hot." Zelena says. "Wait, is that bastard going to be there?"

"Oh my god, Zelena. Stop using those words around the baby! And no, Silas will more than likely not be there."

"And you're not going to bring a date. As always. You're so lame." Zelena says, exaggerating the last word for emphasis.

Regina's mind goes back to Emma. If she were to decide to bring a date to the ball, she would want someone as charming and beautiful as Emma but mostly because she really enjoys spending time with the younger blonde, and she really does not want to have another miserable New Year's Eve. "I was actually thinking about asking Emma if she had any plans on Sunday night."

"WHAT?" Zelena asks incredulously.

"It's a horrible idea, isn't it?" Regina asks timidly, her sister's tone making her question her own judgment.

Zelena laughs. "No! That's actually a great idea! I am just very surprised that you came up with it all on your own."

Regina rolls her eyes again. "I'm going to ask her to come with me as a guest, Zee. Not a date."

"Semantics." Zelena says with a grin.

Regina chuckles. "Stop with all the wishful thinking over there. I am really not looking for a relationship. It took me long enough to get over the last one."

"And that wasn't even a relationship, really." Zelena says matter-of-factly.

"Thanks for the reminder." Regina says quietly as she sighs.

"You know that I am supposed to be the one to remind you of those things, right? I'm your big sister. I'm also supposed to tell you that you deserve better than that piece of-"

"Fine! I get it. Will you please just let me off easy with this one? Also, don't tell Mom and Dad. I don't want to be bombarded with their questions and concerns. I'm begging you."

"I won't tell Mom and Dad if you promise me that you will stop shutting out every single possibility of someone else making you as happy as you were. You are my brilliant and beautiful baby sister, and even if this woman, what's her name again?"

"Emma…" Regina says.

"Even if Emma is not interested, or if we don't know that she is even into women, I'm so happy that you're meeting people and leaving the house once in a while."

"She's definitely into women…" Regina says as her thoughts immediately go to the blonde and the love of her life whom she left in New York just a short few days ago.

Zelena hums. "Oh…so, the plot thickens."

Regina sighs. "She's not interested, Zee."

"Fine, fine, fine. Whatever. Whether or not she is interested, she will die when she sees you in that dress." Zelena adds with a huge smile.

Regina chuckles. "Isn't it getting really late over there? I'm going to get off of here so I can call Emma and invite her."

"Alright. Fine! But, I want all the juicy details later."

"Of course. I'll call you later. Love you."

"Love you, too."

As soon as Regina ends the call with her sister, she dials Emma's number. It rings a few times before the other woman answers.

"Hello. Regina?" Emma says, slightly confused by the phone call mainly because she was not expecting it.

"Hi." Regina says.

"Is everything alright?" Emma asks hesitantly.

"Yes. I, uh, just wanted to call and ask if you had any plans on New Year's Eve. My company throws this extravagant party every year and I was wondering if you would accompany me on Sunday evening."

Emma is stunned at the invitation. "Um…"

"There's no pressure of course. I expect that you have plans already. But I wanted to ask on the off chance that you didn't." Regina says.

"No. I mean, yes." Emma blurts.

"So, you do have plans already?" Regina asks again for clarification as she is feeling slightly disheartened.

Emma sighs at her own awkwardness. "Regina, I would love to go with you."

Regina smiles widely to herself. "Great. So, I know this is pretty last minute, but it is formal event, a ball, so everyone is usually really dressed up. I hope that isn't going to be a problem."

Emma smiles thinking about the tux she purchased a few years ago for the hospital benefit that she hosted and she is suddenly very excited that she can wear it again. "Actually, I think that I have something I can wear."

"Oh, good. So, I'll send you all the details tomorrow or Friday. Will that work?" Regina asks.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds good."

"Perfect." Regina says, unable to control the urge to smile again. "Then I suppose that I should let you get back to whatever you're doing. Have a good night, Emma."

"Yeah, same to you. Talk to you later." Emma says with a smile of her own.

Regina ends the call and bites down on her lower lip. She really hopes that this does not turn out to be a horrible decision. She sees that she has a text message from her sister and opens it to a picture of the woman's belly. Regina smiles before replying. Then she remembers that she promised her a picture as well earlier so she scrolls through her camera roll and finds one of the candid ones of Emma and the group of children. She sends it to Zelena and within seconds, she receives a reply.

" _Holy hell, Regina. Is that Emma? She is hot! You should at least try to get a New Year's kiss out of that one!"_

Regina chuckles and sends a quick reply back.  _"GOOD NIGHT, Zee."_ Then she drinks the rest of her glass of wine, puts the glass in the sink, and walks towards her bedroom so that she can prepare herself for a restful night before work in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: I have the next few chapters of this story already mapped out, and the one after this one already written. Even though I have midterms coming up (Business Law and Statistics--any good vibes would be greatly appreciated), I really don't want to miss my normal Friday evening updates, so in between studying and doing my art, I've been making sure to stay a few chapters ahead. The next two chapters are my favorite ones so far because there are a lot of very cute moments between Regina and Emma. The news we received this week of OUAT being canceled really hurt my heart and I think that it's more important now than it ever was before to do what we can to keep these characters alive. Leave me a note--I'd love to hear from you!***

Emma watches out the window of the Town Car as she smiles to herself. She thinks about how she has only known Regina for a week and already they have had dinner and drinks together twice, she has invited Regina to the children's hospital to watch her photograph the kids, and she is currently in her very best fitted tux headed to Regina's company New Year's Eve Ball.  _Maybe Ruby is right._  It feels nice to have someone new around to take her mind off of Julia. But then Emma's thoughts immediately shift away from Regina and to her ex and she wonders what the woman might be up to tonight. Or whom she might be kissing when that time comes. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before forcing a smile again, trying her hardest to not to ruin the moment with her ruminations of the past. As she composes herself once again, her phone chimes and she pulls it out of her pocket to check the message, which happens to be from Regina.

" _I am in the lobby waiting for you. And I'm wearing a black dress."_

Emma looks out the window again to confirm her location before she replies to Regina telling her that she is only another minute or so away. She then puts the phone back into her pocket and waits anxiously for the the driver to pull up to the front of the hotel.

Once they arrive, she steps out of the car and thanks the driver, tipping him handsomely for his time since she does not have to pay for the fare. She walks up to revolving doors of the hotel and she is suddenly more nervous than she expects to be.  _Regina did say this was a ball. I hope that I'm not overdressed._ She finally walks into the lobby of the hotel and looks around her. She sees some guests of the hotel standing in the lobby area by the front desk but does not see anyone else that is dressed as formally as she is. Nor does she see Regina anywhere. So, she decides to walk towards the concierge podium so that she can ask for information about the party she is to attend.

"Emma?"

Emma turns around when she hears her name to see Regina standing before her with a wide smile upon her face. Regina is wearing a long, shimmery black evening gown that hugs her perfect figure and Emma eyes follow a slit on one side of the dress that begins at about the middle of Regina's thigh and goes all the way down to the ground. Her hair is pulled back, away from her face, and she looks absolutely breathtaking. Emma blinks a few times to clear the fog from her brain before she speaks. "Wow. You...you look great." When she attempts to take a step towards Regina, her heel slips causing her to lose her footing, and she starts to fall forward.

Regina rushes up to Emma and catches her before she hits the ground. "Whoa there, careful!" Regina grabs a hold of Emma's forearms and helps her to steady herself once again. "Wouldn't want you to hurt that pretty face of yours." Regina adds with a smile when they can see each other's faces again.

Emma chuckles as she rubs the back of her neck nervously. "Um, thanks. I'm pretty clumsy to begin with so I hardly leave home in heels, and usually not without a helmet and kneepads. But, I don't really own any safety gear that would go with this outfit so..."

Regina laughs as she shakes her head. "You're so ridiculous."

Emma smiles. "Thank you for sending a car to come get me. It was very nice of you. Although, I really could have just called an Uber."

"It's not a problem. It was already pre-arranged by the company." Regina says with a shrug of her shoulders. "And before I forget to tell you tonight, you look extremely sharp in that tux. I think that you will be turning many of the ladies' heads tonight."

Emma blushes. "I am walking into the party with their CEO. I highly doubt that anyone will even dare to look in our direction for too long."

Regina smiles sadly. "You'd be surprised at the number of people at this company party that couldn't care less about my status as the CEO. But, I do intend to show you off nonetheless."

Emma wants to ask Regina what she means but thinks that they could both probably use a drink before anymore talking happens. So instead, she extends her arm out for Regina to take so they can head into the party. "Well then, Miss Mills, please lead the way."

Regina smiles and takes Emma's arm. She walks them to a more secluded area of the hotel and finally up to two large double doors. They open the doors to an enormous ballroom filled with people, all of them dressed in glitters and their formal black and white. She looks over at Emma and sees that the blonde is curiously taking in the sight before her. "It's a bit much, right?"

Emma just smiles. "I have always wondered how it would feel to be at a party this fancy. I feel like I'm a princess at a castle or something. Well, maybe more like a prince tonight, but you know what I mean."

Regina chuckles. "Honestly, if you've been to one, you've been to them all. Same horderves, same champagne, same faces. But I'm really happy that you decided to come with me. I suppose it is a lot nicer being able to see all of this through new eyes. I just honestly hope that I didn't pull you away from other, more exhilarating, plans you may have already had for this evening. You never actually told me whether or not you had other plans."

"Me? Plans for tonight? Nah. I was probably just going to fall asleep on the couch while watching the New Year's Eve special. You probably saved me from waking up with a cricked neck." Emma says with a grin.

"Well, in that case, you're very welcome." Regina responds with a grin of her own. Then she takes ahold of Emma's arm again and walks them towards an empty table located in a corner away from the speakers and where most of the other people are sitting. She puts her handbag down and takes a seat before urging Emma to take the seat next to her.

Before sitting down, Emma looks over and sees where the bar is located. "Why don't I actually go and grab us each a drink first? I have a feeling that you can use one almost as badly as I can."

Regina nods. "That sounds good. I'll just take a glass of red wine, thank you." She watches as Emma walks off towards the bar and she smiles. She was expecting Emma to be dressed well tonight because she had emphasized as much when inviting her, but she was not expecting a tux. When she first saw Emma walking into the hotel, she could not help thinking just how attractive the other woman is in her obviously fitted outfit, with her long, slender legs, and sporting a pair of matte black Louboutin pumps. Her hair is down but pinned so that it all falls to one side in a wave of gold. Regina has to admit that she is not only impressed but quite captivated by the other woman tonight. Even though she has no plans to act on this sudden revelation, she figures that there is no harm in simply enjoying the evening with her date.

Emma walks back up to their table and hands Regina her glass. "So, your company has this event every year?"

Regina takes a drink of her wine and nods. "Yes. They throw this party instead of having an annual Christmas party since so many people travel during the holidays."

"How long have you worked here?" Emma asks.

Regina shrugs. "This is my sixth or seventh New Year's Eve party, I think." If she is to be honest, she has stopped keeping track.

"You don't really seem like you enjoy them very much." Emma points out as she has noticed Regina's lack of enthusiasm regarding the whole event.

"When I first started here, I liked them a lot more than I do now. Like you have already noticed, they are super fancy and I got to dress up. But I was also young, and fresh out of grad school then. When I got this new position a couple years ago, it became more of an obligation to be here than anything else. That's really when all of our extravagant events became less and less enjoyable." Regina says as she looks into the crowd of people.

Emma studies Regina's face as she is talking. She really is insanely beautiful but there seems to be a sadness in her tone that she cannot seem to place. "Well, thank you for inviting me." Emma hesitates a moment before she continues. "Just let me know when you are ready to leave. We can go whenever you want. We don't have to stay."

Regina turns to face Emma again and she smiles. "That's very sweet. And actually, this is the first time that I've ever brought a date with me to this party. So, I think that I need to take advantage of that by parading you around for a bit. If you don't mind, of course."

Emma beams at Regina's confession. "I think that I'll be okay with that. But in return, will you dance with me?"

Regina laughs. "I can't dance, Emma."

"I'm sure that's a lie. Everyone can dance. Especially if they have a good dance partner." Emma says as she wiggles her eyebrows at Regina.

Regina laughs again. "I wouldn't want to make a fool of myself, or you, by getting out on the dance floor."

"Regina...one dance. And I promise that I will not let you make a fool of yourself." Emma says with a smile.

Regina sighs but finally concedes. "Fine. One dance. But later. Much later." She says sternly. "Now, are you ready to walk around with me to meet a few people?"

"Mhmm." Emma hums as she finishes her drink and gets up, readying herself to escort the beautiful CEO to wherever she wants to go.

Regina stands as well and takes the blonde's arm once again leading her off towards the scattered groups of people.

Emma is introduced to most of the people that Regina works closely with, but she notices that none of them seem very close to her. The majority of them are pleasant but not particularly cordial, and she starts to understand what Regina might have meant by her earlier statements regarding the people at the party. When they finish walking around the room, they stop back by the bar where she grabs them each another drink. "Quite the lively group of people, aren't they?" She says.

Regina laughs. "I told you. And you wonder why I prefer to spend all of my time alone."

Emma nods. "But, do you love your job?"

"I'm pretty good at it." Regina answers with a shrug.

Emma laughs. "I have no doubt of that. But, you didn't really answer my question."

"I'm one of the youngest female CEOs in the finance business. I don't think whether or not I love my job is really relevant." Regina says.

Emma frowns. "Of course it is relevant! I think that you deserve more than something that doesn't make you happy."

Regina smiles genuinely and wants to respond but is interrupted.

"Regina, you look absolutely stunning tonight." Silas says as he walks up to Regina and Emma.

Regina recognizes the voice before she even turns around to meet his eyes. "Silas." She says, genuinely startled by his presence. "What a surprise it is to see you here."

"Yes, well, to be honest, I wasn't going to come. But I really wanted to see you after the way we left things earlier in the week. I flew back into town this morning." Silas says as he brings his glass up to his lips and takes a drink.

"Oh?" Regina says, not really believing his sincerity.

Emma looks from Regina to Silas and before either of them could get in another word, she clears her throat audibly.

Regina turns her attention back to the blonde. "I'm so sorry. Emma, this is Silas Montgomery. He is the president of this company and my boss. Silas, this is Emma. She is here as my guest tonight." Regina says.

Emma reaches her hand out and shakes Silas' hand with a firm grip. "Hello. It's nice to meet you." She says.

"Pleasure." Silas replies politely before turning his attention back to Regina once again. "Regina, look, I really should have talked to you about everything first and I'm sorry I blindsided you in that meeting."

"Wow." Regina says softly as she shakes her head. "Silas, we probably should not be having this conversation here. It is hardly the time or place."

Silas smiles slyly at Regina. "If you prefer, we could go someplace more private." He looks down at his watch to see that they have about forty-five minutes before twelve. Then he leans into Regina trying to be a bit more discreet. "I was actually hoping for a kiss at midnight."

Emma catches every word and coughs as she chokes on a sip of her wine.  _This guy's about as smooth as sandpaper._  "Oh, man. Sorry guys, wrong tube." She says, still coughing, and very much surprised at the man's brazen comment.

Regina turns, reaching over to rub Emma's back until her coughing fit passes before she looks back up at Silas, who seems to still be patiently waiting for her to respond to his suggestion. Both annoyed and furious that he would say something so distasteful in front of her date, she responds unapologetically. "Actually…"

Emma straightens so that she can hear Regina's response as well, nervously anticipating the brunette to accept and then leave her to fend for herself the rest of the evening. But instead, she feels Regina's arm wrap tightly around her waist as the woman pulls her closer.

"I have already promised my kiss to another this evening." Regina says with a sly smile of her own.

Silas' eyes go wide before he nods and smiles. "Oh, I see. Well, I suppose that we can talk about this after the New Year then. Ladies, if you'll excuse me…" He tips his head at both women before walking away.

Emma watches as the man walks away. Once he is lost in the crowd and out of sight, she turns towards Regina. "Um… so…"

Regina quickly pulls away from Emma. "Emma, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to put you in that position. I was just seemingly out of options."

Emma smiles. "No, it's alright. I get it." She pauses for a second, immediately missing their closeness, and continues as cautiously as she can. "Judging from that exchange though, you and Mr. President have hung out in private places before, I take it?"

Regina sighs unsure of how to tell the story.

When Emma sees the expression on Regina's face, she immediately regrets asking about it. "I mean, you don't have to tell me anything. I probably shouldn't have asked. It's really none of my business."

"No, it's fine, Emma. Silas used to work here in Seattle. He wasn't always the president nor was he my boss at that time. And it's been over for a long time now." Regina says specifically emphasizing her very last remark.

Emma nods. "Well, I think he may still have the hots for you. Poor guy. He did just use the worst line I've heard in a very long time. I mean, I can't really blame him for trying. Kissing you would be an amazing way to start the new year…" She trails off as she is embarrassed by her own ramblings only to see Regina get noticeably pink in her face.

"Emma, let's stop talking about Silas." Regina hears the music change to a much slower number so she puts her glass down onto the table beside them and takes Emma's glass from her as well, doing the same. Then she loops her arm around Emma's and leads her in the direction towards the dance floor. "I do believe that I promised you a dance."

Emma chuckles. "You'd be correct, you did promise me a dance. But, are you sure you want to do a slow one?"

"I'm only watching out for your safety. It will be much better for you if I attempt a slow dance." Regina says playfully.

Emma smiles and shakes her head. She would much rather the two of them attempt a slow dance as well, but for different reasons. And as they walk over to the dance floor she can feel herself getting more and more nervous. They find a corner that is away from most of the other couples and she reaches out for Regina's hands.

Regina takes them with a smile and as she walks over closer to Emma, the blonde puts one hand onto her lower back and pulls her in so that they are just a few inches apart. Regina is taken aback by their close proximately but recovers quickly, smiling at Emma.

"Is this okay?" Emma says barely above a whisper.

Regina nods as Emma starts swaying them to the music. Being this close to Emma, she can feel the other woman's warm breath. That, mixed with the intoxicating scent of her perfume, is really quite pleasant. When she glances over Emma's shoulder, she can see Silas standing across the room looking over at them, so she forces herself to look away, turning her attention back to Emma.

Emma senses that Regina seems to be slightly uncomfortable, and when she is at an angle where she can see Silas from across the room, she realizes why. "If you need to use me to make Silas jealous, you have my permission to. I mean, I totally understand what you're feeling."

Regina frowns. "What? No. That's not what's going on here. I'm not trying to make him jealous."

Emma nods. "Well, I'm just saying that if you were, I'd understand. Although, I'm not completely sure that he'd buy it. He can probably see right off the bat that you're kinda out of my league, so I don't think that you'd necessarily get the reaction that you are wanting."

Regina furrows her brow and shakes her head in disbelief. "Emma, why would you say that? That's not true at all."

Emma shrugs. "Of course it is. He's the president of your company. That's a pretty big deal."

"And? Do I seem that shallow to you?" Regina asks seriously.

"No...that's not it. That's not what I meant. It's just like what I said to you earlier. I think that you deserve more, that's all." Emma says with a sad smile, suddenly her insecurities getting the best of her and she can feel her stomach knotting up.

Regina looks intently up at the woman that is currently holding her. She pulls her hand away from Emma's and puts it on the woman's face lightly touching her cheek.

Emma, unsure of what to do with her other hand now that it's free from Regina's grip, places it gently on her waist. She stares back into Regina's eyes unable to tear her gaze away.

They both stand there, not really dancing anymore, and at some point, the music must have changed because Regina can hear something fast and upbeat in the background now. She takes her thumb and brushes it lightly over Emma's bottom lip which makes the woman suck in a breath before wetting her lips instinctively. Regina smiles at this and before she can control herself, she leans in and kisses Emma.

Emma does not hesitate before pulling Regina's body into her own and deepening the kiss.

Regina wraps her arms around Emma's neck and when their kissing slows and she finds that she is out of breath, she pulls away from her slowly.

Emma still has her eyes closed when their kiss ends, and when she opens them again, she feels as if she is in a trance. She sees Regina looking at her with a small smile and she frowns.

Regina bites down on her lower lip when she seems Emma's reaction. "Sorry. I…"

"No! Don't be." Emma reassures her.

"You look upset. I shouldn't-"

"No, honestly. I'm not upset. I promise. I just wish it would have lasted much longer." Emma says with a grin.

Regina chuckles before looking up at the clock that is on the wall behind Emma. It is not quite midnight yet which means if they leave now there will not likely be a lot of traffic. She looks back at Emma. "Do you want to get out of here? I'm pretty sure that I have a bottle of champagne at my place that we can open if you would like."

Emma smiles. "I would like that a lot actually."

"Perfect." Regina says before she takes Emma's hand and pulls her towards the table where she had left her handbag. Then she takes Emma's hand, intertwines their fingers and they both walk towards the double doors leading back into the foyer of the hotel.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: Hello again! So, I have to upload the chapter a little earlier than I usually do because for the rest of the evening, I'll be cramming for my Business Law midterm exam, that I have to take tomorrow. Sounds fun, right? LOL. So, out of all of my chapters for this story so far, this is one of my favorites. I actually recruited one of my best friends to help me with the dialogue and scene-setting of this one, and I think I speak for her as well when I say that we really like the way it turned out. I hope that you feel the same! Let me know, and happy reading!***

Emma nervously rubs her palms against the tops of her knees as they make their way towards Regina's apartment. She thinks about their kiss again and smiles, but immediately, Silas' horrible one-liner from back at the party also comes to mind and she laughs aloud without being able to control herself.

Regina looks over at Emma curiously and raises a brow at her sudden amusement and laughter. This is also the first time that she has noticed that there seems to be an awful amount of space between the two of them.  _The back seat of this thing is huge._ "Is everything alright over there?" She asks with a smirk.

Emma is still laughing uncontrollably and she can feel tears start to sting her eyes. She finally takes a few slow breaths and looks over at Regina with a bright smile. "I'm sorry. I was thinking again about that lame line your boss used on you earlier. It was so hilarious, I just couldn't help it. I'll tell you what, that man is no James Bond."

Regina chuckles. "Well, I'll admit, I've heard better, but I've most certainly heard worse as well." Then her smile turns to a more devilish one. "Unless this is just your way of telling me, in a less than subtle way, that you could have done much better."

Emma smirks at Regina. She can sense a challenge when she hears it. "Honestly, it wouldn't take very much, but oh man, I SO could have done much better than he did."

Regina smiles widely, already anticipating Emma's response. "Well, Emma, it's not very nice to tease…"

Emma smiles as she slides over in the seat, getting as close as she can to Regina. When they are thigh to thigh, she turns to look the beautiful brunette in the eyes. "Well, if you're so curious to know. Had I seen you tonight and noticed that you were at the party alone, I think that I would try to spark up a conversation with you first. Because, let's be honest, jumping straight into a pick-up line the first time you speak with a beautiful woman is just not classy." This makes Regina smile again and Emma's can feel her heart race at the sight of it. "So, I would, of course, offer to grab you another drink and then once you have that, I would have leaned in nice and close…" And she leans into Regina as she continues. "And I would have told you how absolutely stunning you look in this sparkling gem of a dress, that no one in the room could compare to your beauty, and how you may not have noticed, but you have been turning heads since you walked into the room." Emma pulls back and away from Regina with a grin when she sees that she has clearly brought a flush to the woman's face.

Regina bites down on her lower lip unable to control the smile that Emma's words has just put on her face. She feels it heat up, but is not sure if it is because of the compliments or the way she can still feel Emma's hot breath against her neck. She eventually shakes her head and chuckles before putting a hand down on Emma's thigh. "Alright. You have obviously used that one once or twice. That came out way too smooth." She says.

Emma feels her own face get warm at the feeling of Regina's hand on her leg. She boldly reaches for Regina's hand, intertwining their fingers. "If you want me to be completely honest, I have not used that on anyone, ever. However, after the debacle I witnessed earlier, I've definitely given some thought as to how I would have done it if I were in his shoes. And, I may sound like a broken record here, but I think you deserve way more, Ms. Mills."

Regina heart clenches at how sincere Emma's words are. Without much thought, she leans in and touches her lips softly to Emma's.

Emma deepens the kiss almost immediately and just moments later, she can hear the exploding sounds and see the bright colors of the fireworks going off all around them.

Regina smiles into their kiss before slowing pulling away.

Emma chuckles before leaning back in for another quick peck. "I think this is a pretty good indication that between him and I, I'm indeed the winner here."

Regina smacks Emma playfully on the leg before rolling her eyes. Just as she is about to lean back in for another kiss, she sees that they are pulling up to her building, so instead, she squeezes Emma's hand. "It looks like we've arrived." She reaches into her bag for some cash and hands it to the driver before she opens the door and steps out of the car.

Emma slides out of the car behind Regina and helps to straighten out the back of her dress. Then she reaches out her arm again so that she can escort the woman into the building. The closer they get, the more she feels her nerves are begin to get the best of her.

Regina feels Emma tense up next to her and she assumes that it is because of the chill of night air, so she walks a little bit faster, pulling them towards the door. Before they even reach the door, the man inside opens it up for them. Regina smiles widely when she sees her good friend. "Thank you, Frank."

"Well, aren't you just a sight for sore eyes." Frank says to Regina with big grin.

Regina chuckles and shakes her head. Then she leans in and hugs the man tightly before planting a sweet kiss on his cheek. "You are too much. You say that exact thing to me when you see me in my sweats." Regina says.

Frank laughs loudly and the sound echoes throughout the lobby. "I only speak the truth, Ma'am."

"Uh huh." Regina says teasingly. "Frank, I want you to meet my friend Emma. And Emma, this is a very good friend of mine, Mr. Frank Bianchi."

Frank bows his head at Emma and extends his hand. "Hello there, Miss Emma. I've never seen a woman wear a tuxedo before. And I've worked for the Italian mob." He winks at Regina. "You wear it very well."

Emma laughs as she shakes his hand. "Thank you, sir. That's quite the compliment. And I will make sure to try and stay on your good side. Wouldn't want you to have to call up any old acquaintances."

Frank laughs. "Regina, I like her. She's a sharp one."

"Yes." Regina turns towards Emma and makes sure to catch her eyes. "I like her, too. I think I will keep her for a while." She slides over to grab ahold of Emma's arm again. "Frank, we better head up. You stay out of trouble, alright? Happy New Year."

Frank nods and flashes a toothy smile. "Happy New Year, ladies."

"Happy New Year!" Emma says as Regina is already pulling her towards the middle of the lobby. Emma sees the elevators and walks in that direction only to be pulled away by Regina. "Hey!" She reaches an arm out pointing towards the elevators. "Don't we need to go this way? We aren't taking the stairs, are we? I think that you are overestimating my ability in these heels."

Regina chuckles. "No Emma, there's another elevator this way."

"Oh." Emma says grinning again.

They walk towards the back of the building and when a single elevator comes into view, Regina slowly lets go of Emma's arm so that she can reach into her bag for a keycard. She waves the card in front of the electronic keypad and when she hears a soft beep, she pushes the button for going up.

Emma fidgets with her hands anxiously as they wait for the elevator, catching glances of Regina from the corner of her eye. When the door to the elevator opens, they walk in and Emma's attention is immediately drawn to the back of the compartment. Completely made of glass, she could see outside onto the street. When the elevator begins to ascend, it does so in a very fluid motion and her eyes go wide with amazement. "WHOA…" She says as her view slowly becomes a birds-eye view of the greater Seattle area.

Regina walks over to where Emma is standing until she is right next to her, she too, staring into the glow of the city.

Emma speaks up without turning away from the view. "The city is so beautiful tonight, isn't it? It's so full of life and new hope of the future. I wish that I had my camera with me." With their hands barely touching at their sides, she inches closer to Regina linking her pinky to one of the other woman's fingers. Emma realizes that the elevator is still going up, so she turns around to catch which floor they were headed to but sees that there are five buttons without any floor numbers on them. The fifth button, the one that is currently illuminated, is in the middle of the four others. "What floor did you say you lived on, again?"

Regina smiles slyly still looking out into the night. "I don't believe that I did." When she turns her head towards Emma, she sees the blonde looking at her curiously with one brow raised. Then they both hear the elevator ding. Regina turns and walks out of the elevator and to her right where they can see a door at the very end of the long corridor.

As they walk, Emma takes in her surroundings but does not see much of anything around them. They finally walk past a door with a placard to the side of it that says "Rooftop Access".  _Holy shit. We're at the very top._

When they get to the door, Regina pulls out her key inserting it into the door. Before she opens it however, she turns back to Emma with a worried frown. "So, you should know that this place is currently kind of a work in progress. I don't usually have people over…"

Emma takes Regina's hand once again and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "Believe me, whatever lies beyond these doors is not going to change anything."

Regina nods and pushes open the door.

"Oh, wow! Look at that view!" Emma exclaims as she walks straight to the wall of windows directly in front of them.

Regina shuts the door behind them but follows her and while Emma is looking outside, Regina focuses her attention on Emma's face because the blonde looks so stunning with the glow of the city reflecting from her wide eyes. "Indeed." She says barely above a whisper.

"You can really see the whole damn city from up here. It looks so pretty lit up in all of the fireworks."

Regina finally turns to look outside as well. "It certainly has its moments. I have to say, the view is better when there is someone here to share it with." She says earnestly, more to herself than to Emma.

"Well…" Emma begins playfully. "You do have my phone number, so, anytime you need someone to look over the city with you, just give me a ring."

Regina smirks. "Be careful what you wish for Miss Swan, I may just hold you to that."

"I never say anything that I don't mean." Emma says with a nod.

Regina just shakes her head and takes Emma's hand again, pulling her towards the open kitchen. "Are you still interested in a glass of champagne?"

"Of course. I would say, lead the way, but you seem to be doing that already." Emma says laughing.

"You're impossible." Regina pulls out a bottle of the already chilled bubbly and hands it to Emma.

"Oh, sure. Make me do the hard part." Emma says teasingly as she begins to unwrap the foil on the top of the bottle.

Regina chuckles as she reaches onto the higher shelf of her cabinet pulling out two champagne flutes.

It does not take Emma long to get the bottle open and after the loud pop, she grabs the glasses from Regina and pours them each some of the sparkling liquid. She hands Regina a glass. "Happy New Year." She says with a bright smile.

"Happy New Year." Regina says as she clinks her glass against Emma's.

Emma leans back onto the counter as she sips at the champagne. "So, I told you my pick-up line earlier. What would yours have been? I bet you've got some good ones, too."

"You're assuming that I would ever have to use a pick-up line." Regina says with a confident smirk.

That smile makes Emma's knees want to buckle. "Seriously, woman? Just humor me, will ya? If you were ever in a situation in dire need of a good line, what would you say?"

Regina takes another drink of her champagne and then puts her glass on the counter. She takes Emma's glass from her as well, putting it down, before she walks up closer to to the blonde.. She stops once their faces are just a few inches apart.

Emma's heart races but she tries very hard to maintain a cool and calm outward appearance.

"Well, you see, I've never been very good with subtleties, but if I saw you from across the room and I really wanted to get your attention, I would probably just walk up to you and do this." Regina leans in further and lightly brushes her lips against Emma's before placing a soft but firm kiss upon them. She pulls away slowly and smiles. "Then I would probably make you do the chasing the rest of the night."

Emma wobbles a bit as her head begins to fog, but recovers. "Ah, no line needed, message received. And quite effectively at that. It's actually working wonders right now because I'm ready to do some chasing."

Emma laughs as she closes the gap between her and Regina once again, pulling the brunette in for a deeper kiss. Eventually, she has to force herself to stop, taking a second to catch her breath before taking a step back. She reaches for the two glasses again and hands one back to Regina.

They stand there quietly finishing up their drinks, both women just silently enjoying the other's company.

"So, I may have forgotten to mention when I first stepped in here, but you have a very nice place. What's a girl gotta do to get a tour?" Emma asks hopefully.

Regina laughs and that's when she realizes that she never turned on the main lights to the living room area. "Well, you're in the kitchen." She walks over towards the front door and flips the switch on the wall. "And this, is the living room area."

"Holy penthouse, Batman!" Emma fully takes in the space and the decor for the first time since entering the apartment and is stunned by how amazing it all looks. There is quite the mixture of furnishings though and she thinks that she can always ask Regina about that later.

Regina sighs.. "A penthouse, it may be. But it's not always as glamorous as everyone may believe it to be. The house doesn't really matter if it's not a home."

Emma shrugs. "A home is what you make of it and it looks pretty homey to me." When Regina does not respond, she give her a nudge. "So, how about the rest of the place?" She smirks.

Regina points to the right of them. "There's a guest bedroom in there. It's the smallest of the three bedrooms."

"Oh, good. That means I have a place to crash when I need it." Emma says playfully.

Regina just rolls her eyes and pulls Emma to their left where there is a hallway to what looks like a few other doors. Before they make it very far, however, Regina stops. She uses one of Emma's shoulders to steady herself as she reaches down to remove her shoes. She looks up towards Emma again and their sudden height difference makes her laugh.

Emma chuckles as well. "Okay Shorty, I'll take mine off, too." Emma does so and leaves hers on the floor beside where they are standing.

Regina takes her shoes by the heels with one hand and takes Emma's hand with the other walking them towards the hallway. The door to the left is a bathroom. This one straight across from that is my office slash work space. That's where all that CEO magic happens. And-"

"I take it that's your bedroom. And that is where all the other magic happens?" Emma says laughing which earns her a smirk from Regina.

"Well, that depends on the kind of magic you're referring to." Regina says.

"Obviously, the exhilarating kind." They have been flirty with each other all night and Emma feels like she is about ready to burst. So, before she has time to talk herself out of it, she pulls Regina back towards her and kisses her, hard and passionately.

The kiss slows as Regina takes Emma's cheek with her free hand, and she eventually moves her hand to Emma's neck, tangling her fingers into the the blonde's curls.

The feeling of Regina's hand in her hair drives Emma crazy and it makes her grab Regina by the waist, pushing her up against the wall of the hallway.

The force causes Regina to drop her shoes with a thud, which frees her other hand. She then wraps both of them around Emma's neck gently massaging them on the back of her head.

Emma begins kissing down Regina's neck causing the woman to moan loudly. She smiles triumphantly into Regina neck before reaching down to find the long slit of her dress. When she finally is able to get both hands into Regina's dress, she wraps her arms around the brunette's thighs and lifts her up.

This surprises Regina, but she instinctively wraps her legs around Emma's waist nonetheless. Emma is still sucking on her neck when she finally finds her voice again. "Emma. Bedroom. NOW."

Emma pulls away from Regina then. She looks at the woman just inches from her. Her hair is a bit messier but she is just as flawless as she was at the beginning of their evening. She bites down on her lower lip in contemplation only because this was really the last thing she was expecting from their evening together.

Regina senses Emma's hesitation and kisses her on the lips lightly. "We...don't have to…"

"Shhh…" Emma stops her. "Hey, I think we both really want and need this right now. And we are two consenting adults. We can talk about whatever we need to talk about in the morning."

Regina manages a small smile and nods before kissing Emma again. When the kiss ends, she tilts her head to the side with a smirk. "So, the bedroom?"

Emma laughs. "YES."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Note: Alright guys, have you ever told yourself that you didn't really like someone that seriously and that you wanted to stay single and just enjoy spending time with them without any complications? Does that actually ever work out the way you want it to LOL? Well, it's certainly happened to me, probably more times than it should have (it always takes me a few times to really learn from my mistakes) and it's never pretty. So, this is the part in the story where everything kinda takes a turn but don't fret too much about it, because there is still a lot of story left to tell. I hope that you enjoy it-don't hate me too much for cutting out the smutty scene and jumping straight to the drama. Leave me a note and tell me what you think, even if it's horrible. I love to hear your thoughts!***

Regina awakens with a content smile on her face and she cannot remember the last time she felt so well-rested. Quite a bit of time has passed since the last time she can remember sharing her bed with another person. She props herself up on her elbow for a moment as stares down at the woman laying beside her. There is a mess of blonde waves, some covering a part of Emma's face, the rest splayed around her shoulders and the pillow she has her head on. Regina smiles thinking about how peaceful the blonde looks.

Regina stays that way for a while, looking down at Emma's sleeping form, until the realization of what has happened slowly comes to her. She and Emma really did not have a chance to talk about what they were each expecting out of this. Whatever 'this' is _._  She knows that Emma is still in love with Julia, the blonde has made that point perfectly clear. And what they did was supposed to only satisfy each others' physical needs. It was amazing, and mind-blowing, but just sex, nonetheless. She likes Emma, but she is not ever going to want to complicate the great thing they seem to have going with any sort of emotional attachment. So, what if this means more to Emma than it means to her?  _Ugh. Did I just screw all of this up?_

Regina slides herself out of bed and walks around the room, picking up her dress that is on the floor, and then grabbing all of Emma's clothes that is scattered all over the room as well. She pulls a pair of shorts and a tee shirt out of one of her dresser drawers and puts them on. Then, she slips on a robe that she has hanging behind the door and finds her way to kitchen to make some strong coffee.  _Hopefully that will help me to clear my head and figure out what the hell I'm going to tell Emma._

When Emma wakes, she is unsure at first of where she is. She has a pillow against one side of her face and she does not recognize the feel of the bedding, but when she takes a deep breath, she smells the scent of Regina's perfume and her eyes shoot wide open. She sits up in bed and looks at her surroundings to find that Regina is nowhere in sight. She pulls the sheet up to cover herself when she realizes that she is still very much unclothed. Her mind immediately takes her back to the events of the previous evening.

Once the two of them made it into Regina's bedroom, it did not take her very long to get the woman out of her dress. She looks over to the spot on the floor where she remembers throwing the garment and sees that it, too, is nowhere in sight. She remembers the look on Regina's face when she finally got the tuxedo jacket off of her, and she is reminded that her dress shirt is now missing a button or two from Regina's eagerness to get her undressed. She looks for that as well and sees that all of her clothes are draped over the back of a reading chair that Regina has in the corner of the room. Her suspenders, bowtie, and her under garments are laying there neatly as well.

Emma bites the inside of her cheek as her high from the night before starts to fade away. Regina is an amazing woman. She is obviously gorgeous, smart, and funny. _And so very sexy. Holy shit._ The woman is basically everything that anyone would be so lucky to even be in the same room with, let alone the same bed. S _o, why is my heart still hurting because of Jules?_ How is she going to tell Regina, that after the incredible night they just spent together, she really is not ready for anything more? Even though she is dreading it, she knows that they need to have a conversation about everything that has happened between them. She did promise Regina last night that they would talk about it in the morning, after all.

Emma sighs and gets up to walk over to the chair so that she can get dressed. When she has everything but her extra accessories and the jacket on, she grabs them and walks slowly out of the bedroom and into the main room. She sees Regina sitting at the dining table with a silk robe and her glasses on, reading from a newspaper. "Hey...is that coffee that I smell?" She asks with an awkward smile.

Regina looks up briefly and nods. "And there are mugs in the cabinet above the coffee maker." She says before turning her attention back to her newspaper.

Emma senses a bit of coldness from Regina's response and tries to shrug it away. She fills a mug with coffee and walks back over to the dining table, sitting down next to the brunette. Emma puts both hands about her coffee mug and just holds them there, warming her hands, and hoping to gather a bit more courage to speak up. Neither of them say anything for a while so Emma finally just sighs inwardly and pulls her cup to her lips. Her first sip comes out as a loud slurp which makes Regina look up at her. "Sorry, it is a lot hotter than I expected it to be." She says as she brings the mug back down onto the table and just stares into the dark liquid.

Regina picks her own mug up to take a drink but cannot resist responding to Emma's comment about the coffee. "I'll assume that you're only referring to the coffee." She says with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a smirk on her lips.

Emma looks up for a second and grins. "Yeah, sure. We'll go with that, only the coffee, which is very good by the way. Just very, very hot still." She feels herself start to ramble so she looks back down into the mug instead and bites the inside of her cheek once again.

Regina hums in response. "Did you sleep well?"

Emma looks up from the coffee so that she can answer Regina. "I slept very well, actually. Difficult not to when the bed is so comfortable, and of course, the company helped also." Emma blushes. "Your bed is great. I'm surprised that you don't spend all day in it."

Regina nods again as she finally takes a drink of her coffee. She thinks about how Silas is actually the one that picked out her bed but she does not find it necessary to even mention his name. "Yes. And believe me, I do make sure to make very good use of that bed, whenever I have the time to." She winks at Emma before putting the mug back down onto the table.

Emma's mouth goes dry at Regina's mention of making good use of the bed because suddenly all of the images from the night before come flooding back into her mind. She blinks a few times to shake herself from her thoughts.  _C'mon Swan, there's no time like the present._ "So, about last night...I think that we should probably have a conversation about this." She emphasizes with her hands the space between her and Regina. Almost immediately, she bites down on her lip and looks back down into her mug of coffee, suddenly feeling sick.

Regina takes a deep breath and nods. "Yes, you're right. Emma, what happened between us last night…" She trails off as she tries to find the right words. "It was amazing. I mean, you...are amazing…" She hesitates this time because she is unsure of how to continue.

Emma starts talking without ever looking up from her mug. "Look, I don't know how to really say this, so I'm just going to come right out with it." She takes a deep breath. "I think that you're amazing, too, and I think that you deserve someone of the same caliber. Whether or not you think that I'm worthy, the truth is that my heart is not ready for a romantic relationship right now. I love hanging out with you and I want us to be in each others' lives. I just don't want any of that to change."

Regina, who has been staring intently at Emma since the woman started talking, sighs with relief. "Emma, will you please look at me?" She asks.

Emma's eyes widen at Regina's request, partly because she had not even noticed her own avoidance, and she slowly lifts her head to meet Regina's beautiful brown eyes.

"There you are. I was beginning to think that the cup of coffee was a more interesting conversationalist and I am." Regina jests trying to lighten the mood. She continues when Emma does not respond. "I have to admit, I'm slightly relieved. I'm not exactly in the market for a new relationship either."

Emma exhales a breath she does not realize she was holding in. "Really? That's great!" Then, she watches as Regina furrows her brow at her and she shakes her head. "I mean, I'm sorry, I'm just very relieved, too. I was so worried that you were maybe looking for something more, and you've been so great and I was for sure I had messed everything up. I mean, don't get me wrong, last night was incredible. But, when I woke up earlier, and I played back all of last night's events, I was definitely worried about the aftermath, if that makes sense?"

Regina smiles at Emma's long-winded explanation and reaches out to take the woman's hand. "Hey...I really like you, too. And I love spending time with you. Honestly, I wouldn't rule out doing everything we did last night again." She smirks. "I know that your heart is still with Julia. And really, I'm too selfish for a relationship right now. My job keeps me so busy and who knows what is going to happen with this merger that we've talked about. My sister is going to have a baby soon and I'll be back and forth from here to New York a lot. I think that as long as we are both on the same page about everything, that we'll be just fine."

Emma sighs and returns the smile. "Spending more time with you, and definitely doing more of what we did last night...That's definitely that page that I'm currently on as well." She says as she squeezes Regina's hand.

"Great." Regina smiles again before squinting her eyes at Emma. "So, tell me, how do you feel about eggs benedict? I'm not one to boast, but I've been told that my Hollandaise sauce is to die for."

Emma chuckles. "I'm not one to turn down breakfast, especially from a pretty lady. That sounds eggs-cellent!" She says with a brilliant but goofy grin.

Regina laughs as she rolls her eyes. She gets up, walking into the kitchen, and begins prepping breakfast. After a moment, she calls over to where Emma is still sitting. "Emma, if you don't mind, could you go into my office and grab my cell phone off of the desk? I put it in there to charge it earlier this morning. I want to make sure that I haven't missed any calls from home."

"Of course!" Emma walks over to the hallway, trying to remember which door lead to Regina's office. She remembers quickly because that part of the hallway was also the spot where things got very hot and heavy between the two of them. She smiles to herself before opening the door to the room. She is pleasantly surprised when she sees that it has floor-to-ceiling bookcases along three of the walls. On two of the walls, they are completely filled with books, while on the third wall, there are shelves full of what looks to be small boxes or figurines. She walks over so that she can examine them more closely and finds that they are all music boxes. There must be at least fifty or sixty of them. She finally turns towards Regina's desk and sees her phone sitting on a charging dock. She pulls it off of the dock, and the phone lights up to a picture of Regina with a woman with similar features. Emma thinks that it is probably the sister that she hears so much about. On her way out of the room, she sees a smaller shelf right by the door with a tape deck sitting on top and boxes of cassette tapes directly underneath it. Emma laughs to herself.  _What the hell. I haven't seen anyone use cassette tapes in forever._ Then she walks out of the room and closes the door to the office behind her. "Wow. You are constantly surprising me. That library that you call an office is a room that I've only dreamed about as a child. And those music boxes? They all seem like they are one of a kind…"

Regina chuckles. "Oh. Yes. I have always loved to read. And I've been collecting music boxes since I was a little girl. My parents still give them to me as birthday and Christmas gifts every year. So, tell me, do you have any strange hobbies, Emma Swan?"

Emma shrugs as she hands Regina her phone. "Actually if I'm to be completely honest, I feel like all I have are hobbies. Although, not all of them are that strange."

Regina hums audibly. "Okay. You care to elaborate there? You're being oddly vague, as always." She says with a chuckle.

Emma nods. "Well, as cheesy as this may sound, my greatest passion is probably is volunteer work and giving back to the community. I know as a single person, I can't expect that I will change the world or make everything better, but I will probably die trying anyway. I volunteer whenever I can, like taking pictures for the kids at the hospital, making things for people at the homeless shelters and group homes, or just doing odd jobs for those that can't afford to pay someone to get it done. And I do really love photography, but being a freelance photographer isn't something most people consider a 'real job'. It's not like I'm a doctor or the CEO of a big financial firm, or anything." She says the last part with a cheeky grin.

Regina's eyes widen in surprise. "So, you don't accept payment for the photos that you take for the children at the hospital?"

 _Shit, Swan, you are overspeaking again._ "Well, it's not like I'm going to take money from those guys or their parents. They go through enough with the hand they are dealt. And that hospital, my grandpa always made sure that everyone who worked under him knew and understood why they are there, and that is to help in every way they can to make those kids feel normal and loved." Everything she says comes out very defensively, and she should explain it to Regina better than she does, but instead she thinks about her grandfather, and the pang of guilt that always comes along with it, hits her like a freight train. The man was her hero and her rock until he made the conscious decision to stop that support. She has every right to be angry and yet, all she ever feels now is guilt.

Regina shakes her head when she realizes her tone of voice may have been a bit harsh causing Emma to react the way that she does. "Emma, I didn't mean it the way that it sounded. I'm sorry. You have such a big heart. It is very moving, to say the least, and I'm honored that you extended the invitation for me to go with you the other day."

Emma softens at Regina's apology. "No, I'm sorry. It's just one of those touchy subjects for me. My life in that regard is just a little more than complicated and I try very hard to not dwell on it. Unfortunately, my way of doing that is probably not very healthy." She takes a breath and tries to change the subject. "So anyway, how is that hollandaise sauce coming along? I can't wait to be in heaven again for the second time in 24 hours" She says as she playfully bumps Regina in the hips with her own.

Regina grins. "The magic that happens here in this kitchen and the magic that you experienced last night cannot be compared to one another. However, I highly doubt that you'll be disappointed." Regina does also think about Emma's previous response though, and she has many questions, but right now, is clearly not the right time for such a heavy conversation.

Emma is relieved that Regina seems to have dropped their conversation from before. "Well, you have yet to disappointment me with anything that you've boasted about. And so far, everything smells amazing so I'm very excited to have breakfast."

Regina smiles. "Well, it shouldn't take much longer." Then she gets a closer look at the dress shirt that Emma has on and notices that two of the buttons are missing. It suddenly dawns on her that it is the same shirt from last night and she feels her face get warm at the thought. "Oh, goodness, I'm so very sorry about your shirt." She reaches out and touches the spot where you can see that it was forcefully ripped apart. "I will get it replaced for you."

"Nah. No worries. If I remember correctly, I was equally as eager, if not more than you were. But I'm surprised that there are only two buttons missing. The way you were pulling at my sleeves, I thought my shirt was going to turn into a vest."

Regina blushes. "You're right. It certainly didn't take you very long to remove the dress either. I suppose that I am very lucky that there aren't any buttons on it."

Emma smiles and steps in closer to Regina. "Well, I was very, very motivated."

Regina returns the smile as she takes another step towards Emma, closing what was already a very small gap between them. Just when they are about a breath away from each other, Regina looks into Emma's eyes and speaks. Her words coming out barely above a whisper. "Would it be alright if I kissed you now, or should we have aanother talk about any boundary issues first?"

Emma just smiles and closed their gap with a soft, slow kiss. She lifts her hand to touch Regina's face and as she tries to deepen the kiss, Regina pulls away quickly and turns towards the stove where there's a bubbling sound coming from the small pan.

"Shit, my hollandaise!" Regina exclaims. She turns the stove off and moves the pan to one of the other burners. She turns back towards Emma so that she can scold her for being a distraction, but is instead met with the woman's lips on hers once again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's notes: I went to Emerald City Comicon today and I met JMo! She told me that she really liked my paperquilled swan and she posted a picture of it on her IG. It was so amazing--I think that I'm still on a high from it. (: So, anyway, this chapter is one of those filler chapters that everyone hates and I'm sorry for that, but I really needed to set a few things up for what is coming in the next few chapters. Leave me a note, even if you hate it, and let me know what you think--it really means a lot to me!***

"You had sex with Regina?!" Ruby exclaims excitedly.

"Twice." Emma says as she takes a drink of her beer. She tries to hold back a smile but it creeps onto her face anyway. "And Rubes, it's not even that big a deal. Calm down, will ya? And lower your voice, for goodness sake. We're in public."

"What ever happened with 'I'm not looking for a rebound. I'm still in love with Julia.'? You're so full of shit, Swan." Ruby says.

"It isn't like I went to that party with her expecting anything to happen. We were dancing and then she kissed me-"

"Whoa. Hold up. Okay, back it up, and tell me the whole story. This sounds like it's going to be a good one." Ruby says as she puts her elbows onto the table, resting her chin in her hands.

Emma rolls her eyes. "There's not really anything to tell. We went to the party-"

"What did you wear? What was Regina wearing? Did she look hot?" Ruby asks her eyes wide and curious.

"Oh my god, woman! Are you going to take a breath for a moment so that I can actually tell you the story? You keep interrupting me!" Emma says.

"Fine. Please tell me the story." Ruby says as she waves one of her hands at Emma.

"I wore that tux I got for the charity ball a few years back. The one at the hospital? And Regina wore this long sparkly number. She looked…" Emma hesitates trying to find the right word that would describe exactly how the dress looked on Regina, but she falls short. "She looked beautiful." She finally says.

Ruby rolls her eyes but smiles widely. "Go on…"

"Anyway, we get into the party, grab some drinks, and then she proceeded to walk me around to meet some of the people that she works with. They all seem super snooty and generally disinterested so we just found a table and had another drink. And then out of nowhere, this guy comes up to us. He's not bad on the eyes, pretty handsome actually. You know, for a guy." She smiles at Ruby and she gets another eyeroll in return. "He was dressed in an Armani suit or something equally if not more fancy, he probably wasn't that old but had that salt and pepper hair that women go crazy for, and he starts talking to Regina like he can't see me standing there. Regina finally introduces us and I find out the guy is the president of the company. They start talking about some work thing and Regina tried to brush him off and then, I shit you not, he drops the most horrible line ever. I don't even remember it now, but he was hinting at getting Regina in some dark corner so they could have a New Year's kiss."

"What! Regina and her boss?" Ruby's eyes go wide and then she just laughs at how crazy it all sounds.

"Right? Anyway, I was taking a drink at the time and start choking on my whiskey when I heard that, but I don't know why, I really expected Regina to just leave me and go off with him."

Ruby nods. "I mean, you said the guy was handsome. Did it sound like they have history?"

"She says that they do, but it was before he was her boss, so I didn't press her for more information. Anyway, so, I'm expecting her to walk off with the guy and instead, she walks over to me and loops her arm into mine, and then tells him that she already promised her New Year's kiss to someone else." Emma beams.

"Damn, Swan. Nice." Ruby chuckles.

"Well, I knew that it was probably just a cover but it made me so nervous anyway. And you can tell it pissed the guy off because right after that, he was all pouty and just walked away." Emma says with a nod before taking another drink of her beer.

"It seems to me that you got more than just a kiss at midnight." Ruby says with a grin.

"Well, right after that was when I was asking Regina questions about him so she pulled me onto the dance floor because she had already promised me a dance. And it was a slow one, so we got really close and at one point, I saw her boss staring at us from across the dance floor and I could tell it made Regina uncomfortable. I was not really expecting anything to happen beyond our conversation, but we were still talking and then she leaned in and kissed me. Then, she asked if I wanted to get out of there and just go over to her place where she had champagne."

"Do you think that she actually did it to make her the guy jealous?" Ruby asks.

"I asked her if that was the case. I even told her that I could play it up if she needed me to, but she was very adamant that she wasn't doing that." Emma shrugs.

Ruby nods slowly. "So…"

Emma chuckles. "So, we left and just went over to her place. Rubes, Regina lives in the Penthouse of her building! Watching the fireworks from up there was so amazing. She has this office with a ton of books-"

"Swan. Focus. I don't care about Regina's penthouse. I mean, that's all wonderful and all, but I'm very much concerned with how you ended up in her bed after you've told me over and over that you're not over Julia. What did Regina do exactly, to make you forget all about 'the love of your life'?" Ruby asks trying not to sound impatient but her curiosity is getting the best of her.

"I haven't forgotten about Jules. The thing that happened with Regina, it was nice, you know? It felt good to just exist for a moment in time without thinking about my ex. Who, now that I think about it, was probably never in love with me in the first place." Emma says. She thinks for a second that she probably sounds very pathetic and the look on Ruby's face confirms it.

"Em…" Ruby reaches across the table and grabs Emma's hand. "Julia is straight. I know that you were blinded by how much you love her for a very long time, but the woman likes men. That has nothing to do with how great you are, and you ARE great."

"Well, Regina obviously likes men also, if President What's-His-Face is any indication. I guess that I'm just a magnet for straight women that just want to have a good time." Emma says with a shrug.

Ruby laughs. "Woah, there. First of all, pity party much? And second, Regina might like men, but I've seen the way she looks at you and that woman is hardly straight. Bi, maybe. And how do you know that she's only looking for a good time, huh?"

Emma sighs. "It's because we talked about it, Rubes. And it doesn't matter if she's straight or bi. I'm not over Jules and I can't just jump into a new relationship right now. And Regina isn't wanting anything serious either, so I think that we're both in a pretty good place with all this. At least for the first time in my life, I don't feel like there's any miscommunication when it comes to what I really want."

"So, you're just going to be fuck-buddies?" Ruby asks.

"We're going to be friends, Rubes." Emma says as she rolls her eyes.

"Right. But friends that occasionally-"

"Ruby! That's really none of your business." Emma says sternly but without much bite.

Ruby laughs. "Of course it's my business! I'm your best friend, Babe. And plus, you said already that you two have done it twice. It's not like it was a 'oops' and 'let's not ever bring that up again' kinda thing."

Emma sighs. "You know what, come what may. I don't want to overthink it. I just really like hanging out with her. If we happen to end up in bed, then we do, and I'm not going to overanalyze it. And neither should you!"

Ruby puts both of her hands up in surrender. "Fine. I won't say another word about it. I just want you to be happy, Em. You know that."

Emma smiles genuinely at her friend. "I know. And I feel pretty good about everything right now. It's a new day, a new year, and I just want to move on."

"Alrighty then. To moving on." Ruby says as she holds her glass up.

Emma smiles and clinks her own glass against Ruby's. "Hell yes."

 

* * *

 

"So, let me get this straight. I talked to you on Monday afternoon for nearly an hour, and you not once felt that it was necessary to tell me that you slept with this woman, whom you keep claiming is just a friend?" Zelena asks.

"It didn't come up, Zee. Stop being so dramatic." Regina says as she rolls her eyes, even though she knows very well that her night with Emma did come up. She just really did not feel like talking about it then. Just like how she does not feel like talking about it now, but it is way too late for that.

"Oh, it most certainly did come up. You lied to me!" Zelena says. "I asked you if you got lucky that night and you said-"

"I didn't actually lie to you. I told you that Emma and I had a great time, which was not a surprise to me because I really enjoy spending time with her." Regina argues.

"That's right. And then you changed the subject, you little snake." Zelena says emphasizing every syllable of the last three words. She is not angry at Regina but she is a bit taken aback. They usually tell each other everything and she is suddenly very curious as to why her little sister withheld this information from her.

"It was just sex. There's really nothing for me to tell." Regina says trying to downplay the situation as much as possible to get her big sister off her back.

Zelena snorts. "Just sex, huh? So, does Emma know that?"

"As a matter of fact, she does. We talked about it the next morning and neither of us is looking for anything serious. She is still in love with her ex, and I'm very much happy with my life the way it is. I don't need anything to complicate it."

Zelena sighs. "This all sounds awfully familiar, sis. You did learn from your previous situation that there is really no such thing as just having casual sex, right? One of you is going to get hurt. And isn't the risk of that even higher since Emma is obviously using you as a rebound?"

"Zee, seriously, stop. Both Emma and I are on the same page about this. We've talked about it and neither one of us wants more than what happened between us the other night. And I don't even know that the sex will happen again." Regina says as her frustration with her sister and this conversation is growing.

Zelena laughs. "Regina, you just told me that you made plans and rented a ski lodge so that the two of you could spend the weekend together in the mountains-"

"Skiing! For god sakes, Zee. Not some wild sex marathon. If that's what we were going for, I wouldn't have spent the money on the accommodations in the mountains. We could very well just do that here in my bed." Regina pinches the bridge of her nose and takes a deep breath. It was a mistake talking to her sister about this, and she wishes that she had just kept all of it to herself. But, Zelena is not entirely wrong. A trip into the mountains, just her and Emma, seems like is could be a very romantic weekend. If that was truly what she wanted. When she brought it up to Emma earlier in the week, that thought never even crosses her mind, but now that Zelena has planted the seed, she cannot seem to think about anything else.  _How did an impromptu ski trip with someone I enjoy spending time with suddenly turn into such a complicated mess._

"Fine. I guess that's true…" Zelena says finally. She knows that her little sister is being overly defensive because she probably knows that there is some truth in what she is trying to tell her. She really should not push her luck by backing Regina into a corner. Instead, she changes the subject. "So, was it good sex, at least?" Zelena asks with a chuckle trying to lighten their conversation a bit.

"I'm not even going to go there with you, right now." Regina says seriously. "I already told you, it was a very nice evening. Emma is very caring and sweet."

Zelena hums. "Alright, fine. I'll stop asking."

"Thank you." Regina says with a sigh of relief. "Anyway, how are you feeling? Your text message earlier said you think that it's almost time? But, you're not due for a few more weeks, right?"

"Maybe it was all just wishful thinking. I'm so ready, sis. I feel so big and ugly. I'm ready for this thing to be out of me." Zelena says candidly.

Regina frowns. Zelena is the most beautiful and bright woman that she knows. She has also always been the most confident woman that she knows, so hearing her sister, this woman she has admired and looked up to her entire life sound so utterly dejected, is breaking her heart. "Zee, you are beautiful! And you're about to give birth to my beautiful niece or nephew. You are so amazing, you know that?"

Zelena rolls her eyes and scoffs. "I know what you're doing and it isn't going to work. I'm a ball of hormones. A literal, big ball! And I haven't been able to sleep, all I want to do is eat. I'm a huge mess!"

Regina can hear her sister's voice cracking a bit and knows that the waterworks are to follow. Her heart clenches at the thought. "Hey...I'm gonna be there with you as soon as you feel so much as a tumble from the little one, okay?"

Zelena takes a deep breath and calms herself. Harry has been great but Regina has always been the best at calming her in any crisis no matter how silly or irrational they are. "Yeah, okay. So, Mom and Dad have been driving all over the Northeast since last weekend, but will be back here on Friday. And they'll probably just annoy this baby out of me. Just be prepared to jump on a plane any day, alright?"

Regina chuckles. "Of course. I can't wait. Anyway, I'm going to get off of here and get some work done. I'll call on Friday night to check up on you."

"Alright. Love you."

"Love you, too, Zee. Bye." Regina ends the call and takes a deep breath. Between this work merger, her sister and brother-in-law welcoming the baby, and whatever this thing is with her and Emma, the only thing she knows for certain is that she really needs a glass of wine.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Note: We get more of R&E in this chapter, YAY! So, I have been thinking a lot of about what's going on between these two women, mostly because I need to continue writing this story, but also because my personal experiences and my past tells me that we all happen to be fools for love even if we don't care to admit it. My question for you is, and please let me know in a message or a review if you're so daring-how likely is it that a casual agreement between two people, actually stays casual without any complications of the heart? Do you see more of yourself in Regina or in Emma?***

"I'm beginning to think that you really aren't as good of a cook as you keep telling me you are." Emma says with a chuckle as she turns her body towards Regina, looking down at the woman who is still currently trying to catch her breath.

Regina smiles and shakes her head. Then she slides her hand from where it is currently resting on Emma's thigh, onto her hip and playfully pinches the blonde. "I'll have you know, I'm a perfectly fine cook. But, you have yet to give me a chance to properly cook for you. You keep interrupting me in the middle of the process."

"Well, what can I say? You've been more enticing than the actual meal. Which you should know, is a huge compliment because I love food." Emma says as she reaches down to tuck away some stray hairs that have made their way onto Regina's face, blocking her view of the woman's beautiful eyes.

Regina chuckles and sits up, pulling the sheets up with her as well, making sure to cover herself. "So, tell me, how hungry are you right now? If I go and make dinner for us now, it should only take about forty-five minutes, or I suppose we can call for takeout if that is what you would prefer. Your call."

"I'm actually starving. I feel like I worked off a lot of calories just now, and I should refuel my body. If you don't mind cooking, I'd definitely prefer your cooking over takeout. Plus, that would mean that I'd finally get to eat something you've made." Emma says smiling.

Regina returns the smile. "I have a lasagna made already, and I just have to put it in the oven. Did you want to join me in the living room or..." She trails off wondering what Emma would want to do while they are waiting.

Emma tugs lightly at the sheets that Regina is holding up against her chest. "You said that it will be about forty-five minutes…?" She asks with a mischievous smile.

Regina shakes her head again, but cannot help smiling at the blonde. "Let me put the lasagna in the oven and I'll set the timer and come back to bed." She does not wait for Emma's answer and instead slides herself off of the bed and walks over to grab her robe from behind her door. As she is putting it on, she catches Emma watching her and winks at the woman.

"Now, that's just not fair." Emma says as she watches Regina walk out of the bedroom. She lays back down onto the bed and stares up at the ceiling for a bit. On her way over to the apartment tonight, she had convinced herself that it would be better to just maintain a non-physical relationship with Regina. She understands why Ruby is worried, and she knows that sex usually muddles things whether or not she wants to believe that it will change whatever it is that her and the brunette have developing between them. But, the second she stepped into the apartment and saw Regina standing before her, she got the overwhelming urge to push her up against the wall and kiss her until they were both out of air. So, that is exactly what she did. And so far, she was not regretting it.

It only takes Regina a few minutes and she returns to the room immediately afterwards. She pulls the covers back and slides back into bed, scooting herself close to Emma before turning towards the woman with her head propped up with her arm. "So..." She says grinning.

Emma tugs at the silk rope tying Regina's robe together, opening it up so that she can slide her hand inside. She slowly brushes at the soft skin and eventually finds a spot on the woman's hip, lightly tracing circles there. "So…"

Regina throws her head back and laughs, her voice still a bit raspy. "So, I was thinking that we should probably leave pretty early in the morning to make our way to the lodge, especially if we want to get a good amount of time on the slopes. I know we haven't really talked about it, but do you just want to stay the night? It may make things easier for us in the morning." When Regina called Emma yesterday to ask if she wanted to join her for dinner, it had occurred to her that traveling the next morning would be convenient for them if the blonde stayed with her overnight. She ultimately left it out of their phone conversation because she did not want Emma to think that she had any ulterior motives for asking her to stay. She would never admit it to Zelena but their conversation the other night really made her reassess her situation with Emma. She really does not want to jeopardize their seemingly growing friendship. That particular notion, however, was tossed quickly after Emma immediately captured her lips in a passionately sweet kiss within seconds of her opening the front door.

"Yes, that sounds perfect." Emma says with a wide smile. "Do you think that you'll be able to try your hand at that eggs benedict again in the morning? That's also something I was told that I would be able to try but didn't get to."

Regina chuckles. "Well..." she says as she gets a little bit closer to Emma. "I can certainly make us breakfast, but that would mean that I would have to get out of bed awfully early."

Emma chuckles but shakes her head. "Oh no, we can't have that. We will just have to pick something up on the way."

"Don't worry, we'll make sure to get you fed before we get you in skis." Regina says and she boops Emma on the nose.

Emma scrunches her face at Regina playfully before biting the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "Also, just so you know, I haven't been skiing since my grandfather took me when I was about fifteen. So, I might be a little rusty, and hopefully I don't make a fool of myself too badly."

Regina just smiles. She considers asking Emma about her grandfather again, but in previous conversations, it is evident that any mention of the man will usually cause the younger woman to tense up. She really wants to ask about Julia also, but decides against that as well. So, she goes with the safest person in Emma's life that she knows that she can ask about. "You and Ruby have never gone skiing together?"

"Well, Ruby is more of a summertime sports kinda girl. She does not like the cold weather at all. We do a lot of hiking in the summer, that's really about it. Although, she did make me join a rugby club with her once. That was interesting." Emma says.

"Rugby?" Regina laughs. "I have to say, I can't imagine you or Ruby playing rugby."

"Oh man, Ruby is a beast at rugby. Don't let that tiny frame of hers deceive you. She is very quick and throws some sharp elbows. I, on the other hand, was not very motivated at all to catch the ball or get caught with it. My nickname, given to me by the rest of the ladies on the team, was 'Hot Potato'." Emma laughs as memories of that summer come rushing back. "Needless to say, it was a one time thing for me. So, what about you? When was the last time you went skiing?"

"Hmm…" Regina thinks about the last time she was in the mountains, and realizes that it was when Silas had rented out a cabin for a long weekend. "The last time I went skiing was when Silas and I were seeing each other." She scoffs almost immediately at her own inaccuracy when describing the arrangement with her now-boss. "Well, we weren't exactly seeing each other, but you know." She shrugs.

Emma hums and realizes that Regina's situation with Silas was probably very similar to what her and the brunette are doing now, and she wonders which one of them ultimately ended their casual relationship.  _Probably Regina._  It seems that way, judging from their last interaction. "No, I totally get it. So, how long were you guys together-not-together exactly?"

Regina sighs. "God, too long. And to be honest, I should have ended things earlier. I let myself get too caught up in it and..." She trails off trying to find the right words unsure how honest she wanted to be with Emma about what happened. "And I just lost myself. And I lost control of the situation, which is something that still plagues me more than it should."

_Well, that answers my question._  Emma gives a slight smile and lightly squeezes where her hand is still resting on Regina's hip. "You're preaching to the choir, so don't worry about any judgment coming from me. But, to be honest, I am rather shocked that you two were, you know…

"Together?" Regina says with a raised brow.

Emma nods with a light laugh. "Because I mean, he's just so..." Emma trails off, trying to think of the nicest way to express her feelings regarding the man without hurting Regina's feelings.

Regina chuckles and tries to finish the thought for Emma. "He's kind of a selfish prick."

Emma snorts with laughter. "Took the words right out of my mouth. Although, I don't know him as well as you do."

"He wasn't always that way. He has changed so much since then. And then shortly after we stopped seeing each other, they gave him that huge promotion, which didn't help his already growing ego."

"Yeah, I can imagine the promotion did wonders as far has humbling the man." Emma smiles. "Well, he definitely seemed very into himself. I dare say you actually dodged a bullet with that one."

Regina smiles. "I do realize now that him and I are quite different in a lot of ways. Take this place for example. All of this, it was his idea. And I blindly went along with it because it made his so happy, and I thought that it would make him want to stay. I'm sure you've probably noticed the mixture of decor in the place, and you probably can tell what items are more his taste and which are mine. I mean, I have a study full of mixtapes and music boxes. All of the other paintings and sculptures that you see in the living room were just a way for Silas to imprint a bit of himself everywhere." Regina shakes her head as she takes a deep breath. "You know, it's not wrong what they say about a woman in love. We do the oddest, most ridiculous things."

_Woman in love._  Emma remembers the very first conversation she ever had with Regina. On the flight when she asked Regina if she actually enjoyed being alone, and her reply was that she was not very good at caring for other people. She wonders to herself if Silas is the reason Regina thinks that about herself now or if he is ultimately the reason that she has always prefered to be single. "This might just be the hopeless romantic in me, but I think that you just have to find someone that will be willing to do the same for you. And as for this apartment, I think that it's feeling pretty homey, and I do see a lot of your personal touches as well. So, don't be so hard on yourself. And speaking of those mixtapes, I saw those the other day and I was pleasantly surprised. I don't think that I know anyone who still owns a cassette player."

"Well, now you do." Regina laughs. "And anyway, I'm not opposed to finding love. I feel like I'm so absorbed with other things these days that I wouldn't even know love if it hit me in the face. And, I'm just an 'all or nothing' type of person. I don't want it if it's going to be half-assed in any way. I would prefer nothing, if there is a risk of losing it all to someone who does not want it, if that makes any sense."

Emma hums and is about to counter, but is interrupted when Regina's phone rings.

Regina turns and reaches for her phone that is on the nightstand. She frowns whens he sees who it is. "Hello, Harry. Is everything alright? What? Right now? Oh my god. Are Mom and Dad there? Oh, good. Yes, I'll be on the first flight out. Okay. Yes. Please keep me updated. Tell Zee that I love her. Bye." Regina ends the call and immediately starts to get up so that she can get dressed, forgetting that Emma is still there. When she feels the other woman's hand pull onto her hip, she turns back towards her and bites down on her lower lip nervously. "Oh, Emma…"

"Is everything alright? Is your sister okay?" Emma asks, obviously concerned.

Regina takes a deep breath. "Yes, she's fine. She's just going into labor, and I have to catch the first flight out to New York." Regina says sadly as she suddenly remembers her plans to go skiing with the blonde.

"Oh." Emma says as she loosens her grip on Regina and sits up quickly. "I should probably get out of your hair then." She feels a bit disappointed that she is no longer going to be spending the weekend with the brunette, but she is not entirely sure why she feels her heart tug at her.

The sound of Emma's disappointment makes Regina frown. "Oh, Emma. I'm so sorry. About the ski trip, can we just-"

"No, no. Don't worry about it. I get it." She nods as she stands up, making sure to hide her face before pulling on her underwear and jeans. As she is looking around for her bra, she hears shuffling on the bed behind her.

Regina thinks for a moment about what she wants to do and once again, before she can talk herself out of it, she crawls over on the bed closer to where Emma is standing and takes a hold of her hand, pulling the woman towards her. "Hey..."

Emma looks down at Regina and sees that she is frowning. She sits back down onto the bed so that she can reassure her that everything is fine. "Hey, seriously-"

"Come with me." Regina says softly.

"What?" Emma asks.

"I know that you hate flying and New York is probably the last place you want to be right now, but I could really use the company and I would love it if you'd come with me." Regina thinks that she has had worse ideas. But, even if Emma is just a friend, in the last two weeks, she has proven to be a very good one. "I mean, I don't know what your schedule looks like next week, but I can just get your ticket for the weekend if you need to be back by Monday."

Emma smiles. "You don't have to buy my ticket, Regina. And I don't have anything going on at all next week at all. I can stay for as long as you need me." When she told Ruby about the ski trip, she got an earful from her best friend. She just could not wait to hear what Ruby has to say about Regina asking her to go to New York with her to see her family.

"Really?" Regina asks with a smile.

"Mmhmm." Emma nods.

Regina sighs with relief. "Great. I'm going to look for our tickets. There might be a redeye flight for later tonight. Would that work for you?"

"Yeah, sure. And conveniently, I already have a bag packed and in my car." Emma laughs.

Regina looks into Emma's eyes then, and notices how green they look when she smiles. She could probably stare into them all night if she wanted to. "Thank you." She says quietly, without looking away. "And I promise that we will try for skiing on another weekend."

Emma shakes her head. "It's fine, really. I know how much it means to you to be with your sister right now. We can go skiing any time. Are you sure you want me to come with you though? I wouldn't want to intrude on your family time."

"You wouldn't be intrusive. If anything, you'd be a very good buffer. This way my parents have someone else to focus on and they can spend less time hounding me about my love life the entire time." Regina says with a smile.

"Oh, I see how it is." Emma laughs. "So, that's the real motive for asking me to tag along, is it?"

Regina pulls on her arm playfully. "Well, not exactly..." She leans in and places a kiss on the corner of Emma's mouth but she does not pull away completely. "You can say that my real motive is that I will probably need a distraction and some much needed stress relief. And you know what they say about orgasms and the associated endorphins…"

Emma smiles and reaches up so that she can touch Regina cheek before gently pulling the brunette in for a slow but passionate kiss. She takes her other hand and slides Regina's robe off of her shoulders tossing it onto the floor.

Regina smiles into their kiss as she lays back onto the bed again and Emma slowly crawls over her. When they separate so they can both catch their breath, Regina reaches down to unbutton Emma's jeans once again.

Emma takes the hint and gets up so that she can throw them off and immediately gets back onto the bed, quickly capturing Regina's mouth with her own. Things between them heat up quickly and they are suddenly a mess of limbs, as Emma kisses down Regina's neck and onto her collarbone sloppily. Just as she is sliding her hand down the woman's stomach, the timer on the oven starts beeping. Emma stops, her eyes wide with shock at first, before she starts laughing hysterically into the crook of Regina's neck.

Regina laughs also as she wraps her arms tightly around Emma's shaking form.

Emma lifts her head and looks into Regina's eyes. "If I have to choose between you and food, you should know that it's probably going to be you. Every single time."

Regina smiles. "I'm not giving you a choice this time because we have to eat. And I need to purchase these plane tickets for us. So, why don't we do that, and depending on how much time we have before we have to be at the airport, I will decide whether or not I will let you join me in the shower."

Emma beams. "No arguments from me." She leans in once more and gives Regina another quick peck on the lips before getting up. Then she reaches a hand out so that she can pull Regina out of bed as well. She watches as Regina slips her robe back on and walks out of the room towards the oven that is still currently beeping at them. Emma wonders to herself if she is making the right decision by going with Regina on this trip. New York is where Julia is, and even though she knows she should keep her distance, she suddenly really wants to see her ex. She runs her hand through her hair and sighs.  _This is going to be long few days._


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: So, here we are again. Happy Friday! Did you guys see that picture that Lana just casually put on her IG earlier that totally busted the interwebs? The Queen always knows how to get our attention. So anyway, back to this--I think that I'm about to the midway point of this story. A big thank you by the way, to those of you that urged me to continue this story even though I was adamant on keeping it as one-shot. I have been able to write a lot of things into this story that are very near and dear to me, and I hope that it will somehow seep into your heart the way that it has mine. With that said, the next few chapters are going to be a little bit heavier. We're going to be dealing with Emma's past (finally) and you will get to know her a little bit better. I kinda have this theme song, one that really got me through my darkest hours, and you should look it up if you don't know it. It's The Starting Line by Keane. I use music a lot for my inspiration to write and I think that this song really helped me to develop Emma's character. So, sorry for that long-winded intro (does everyone even read this part?), please enjoy and leave me a review! It always makes it easier to keep writing!***

Regina was able to easily purchase her and Emma each a one-way ticket from Seattle to JFK. The only flight out however, has a departure time of right before ten, so they eat as quickly as they can, and immediately afterwards, Regina shuffles through her bag once again and tries to repack some of it. Most of items she had previously packed were for the ski trip and even though she is sure that it will be fairly cold in New York, she is not anticipating that they will be spending very much time outside while they are there. She makes a quick decision to pack a few extra shirts for Emma too, just in case she needs them She guesses that the blonde probably only packed enough for what they had originally planned for the weekend as well. When she is finally finished, they lock up the apartment and make their way out of the building.

Emma offers to drive them to the airport and leave her car there while they are away since Regina insisted on paying for her plane ticket. Regina argues, naturally, but Emma refused to take 'no' for an answer. By the time they finally reach the airport, and make it through the security check, their flight has already started boarding.

As soon as the plane takes off, the lights in the main cabin are dimmed and most of the passengers begin making themselves more comfortable so that they can try to get a bit of sleep. Regina was only able to shut her eyes for a short while, mostly because her nerves are getting the best of her, but she does keep a close eye on Emma, making sure that she sleeps through the majority of the flight because she knows how much the younger woman hates flying. It is not until they touch down onto the runway in New York that Emma finally slowly wakes.

Because it is so early in the morning, they are able to make it out of the airport swiftly, and jump into the first available Yellow Cab towards the hospital. Regina is playing with her hands almost as soon as the cab driving starts driving, and Emma senses her anxiousness, so she reaches over and gives Regina's hands a reassuring squeeze which elicits a grateful smile.

Regina had phoned Harry the second they landed and was told that Zelena's contractions are currently just about seven to eight minutes apart. The doctor mentioned the last time he was in the room that they are still waiting until the contractions become more frequent. Harry certainly sounded calmer on the phone than she is feeling right now, but she is suddenly very relieved that she asked Emma to come along. The other woman's presence has had such a calming effect on her. "I'm just so nervous." She says quietly, more to herself than to Emma.

"Hey… it's alright to be nervous. It's your sister. Family in the hospital, no matter the circumstances is always really nerve-wracking." Emma thinks about her own experience, and how she should have gone to see her grandfather when he was there that very last time. She pushes the guilt back and focuses her attention back to Regina. "She's going to be fine. All of her family is here, and she will be so happy to see you." She says.

Regina smiles again before taking Emma's hand and intertwining their fingers. "Thank you. And thank you for coming with me. I will make this up to you. I promise."

"You don't have anything to make up for. I'm glad to be here with you for this." Emma says.

When they reach the hospital at last, Regina rushes inside and straight to the courtesy desk hoping to get directions to where they need to go. She looks around, but there is no one there. "What good is an information desk if there is no one sitting at it?" She says in frustration.

Emma walks over to her and lightly touches the small of her back, urging her towards where the elevators are located. "Come this way. I think that we will be able to find it on our own." Emma knows her way around hospitals. The truth is, she has spent a lot of time in them when she was growing up. That happens when you have family that is practically hospital royalty. She walks them over to a directory where she sees that the obstetrics area is in the West wing of the hospital on the first floor. "Aha. There we go. It's this way." She says as she takes Regina's hand again leading her in the correct direction. "Did your brother-in-law tell you what room they are in?"

"Um… Yes. They are in room 108." Regina says.

They walk in silence until they reach the area they are looking for and once they are right outside the room, they can hear someone's muffled screaming coming from inside. Emma chuckles nervously. "I think we are in the right place."

Regina sighs and laughs nervously as well. "I think you might be right. I can recognize that sound from anywhere in this building. I'm surprised, we didn't find it sooner."

Emma smiles and nudges Regina towards the door. "Well, go on. Go see your sister."

Regina nods and walks towards the door. Right before she opens it however, she turns back towards Emma and pulls her in for a hug.

Emma is taken aback by the intimate gesture. Sure, a hug is far more innocent than some of the other positions that she has found herself in with Regina as of late, but this, it just feels so different. She slowly wraps her arms around Regina's waist as the woman turns her face into the crook of her neck.

"Thank you, again." Regina says softly.

Emma tenses a little at the feeling of Regina's breath on her neck, but recovers quickly. She gives the woman another squeeze before pulling herself back. "You have nothing to thank me for."

Regina stares for a moment longer wondering how just weeks ago, she never knew this woman standing before her even existed, but now, it feels as though she has known her for ages. "You are coming in with me, right?" She asks with a smirk.

Emma hesitates for a moment before she finally answers. "Well, I mean, of course. If you want me to. I just wasn't sure how we were going to explain you bringing a total stranger to your sister's baby delivery party."

Regina chuckles. "Emma, you're not a total stranger."

"Well, I know that, but you know…" Emma laughs. "I am just some chick you met on a flight to Seattle a few short weeks ago. As far as they know, I could be an axe murderer."

Regina punches Emma in the shoulder playfully. "We don't have to give them an entire history of our friendship, Emma. They just need to know that you are a good friend of mine. That's the only thing that is important to me. And I've already told Zelena about you anyway, so she knows everything there is to know."

Emma's eyes widen at this. "Oh, she does, does she? Well, that's not going to be awkward at all. If she is as hot as you are, then I'm really in trouble."

"Emma!" Regina says in a harsh whisper.

Emma laughs. "Alright, alright. Sorry. That was super inappropriate."

"I'll say." Regina says as she lets go of Emma and slowly walks backwards towards the door to the room. "Just for the record though, I'm the hotter sister." She winks at the blonde before turning and opening the door.

Emma chuckles as she follows Regina into the room.

"GINA!" Zelena exclaims as soon as she sees Regina. They have been at the hospital for more than twelve hours now and she is feeling so many different emotions at once. She is exhausted and frustrated. She is also starving, angry, and irritated. But the second she sees her baby sister, all of that seems to fade away. "Oh my god. You're here." She says, a bit exasperated as her eyes well up with tears.

Regina rushes to her sister's side and wraps her up in the tight hug. "Hey… of course, I'm here. I told you that I wouldn't miss this." She pulls away from their hug and kisses her sister on the top of the head. "I heard that you've have quite the morning."

Zelena does not reply but looks over to the blonde woman that is standing by the door and grins mischievously. "And who might this be?" She asks.

Regina turns quickly, suddenly extremely embarrassed that she left Emma over in the corner by herself. "Oh, I'm so sorry. This is Emma, everyone." She walks over taking ahold of Emma's arm and walks her over to where her parents are sitting. "Emma, this is my mom, Cora, and my father, Henry."

Emma smiles awkwardly before reaching out her hand to shake theirs. "Hello. It's very nice to meet you."

Cora looks between her daughter and the stranger before she takes Emma's hand. "Likewise, Dear." She says with a sweet smile.

Henry nods with a smile of his own and takes Emma's hand in a strong grip. "Hello there, young lady."

Regina smiles cautiously but can tell by the looks on her parents' faces that she will be interrogated about this later. "And Emma, this is Harry. And that, is obviously Zelena."

Emma relaxes a bit when she shakes Harry's hand. But when she turns and reaches out her hand to shake Zelena's, the woman takes it and pulls her in for a hug instead.

"I'm sorry, but I'm a hugger." Zelena says happily.

Emma laughs. "Oh! No worries. I do love the occasional squeeze." She says.

"I'll bet you do." Zelena says as she winks at Regina.

Regina just rolls her eyes and walks over to her parents once again so that she can give them each a proper greeting as well. "Have you guys eaten? Why don't you go grab some breakfast and coffee? Emma and I can stay with Zee while you all take a break." She turns towards Harry then also and smiles at him. "Harry, you too. You look like you can use a break."

Henry nods. "That doesn't sound half bad, actually. I could use a walk. C'mon Honey." He gets up and reaches for his wife's hand who gladly takes it.

"Can we bring you anything, Dear?" Cora asks Regina.

Regina nods. "I'll just take a black coffee. Thanks Momma." Then she walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge of it, grabbing onto Zelena's hand.

"Anything for you, Emma?" Henry asks.

"Actually, why don't I just go with you. That way Regina can have some alone time with her sister." Emma says as she walks over to the door. She opens it and holds it for everyone. "I could actually use some breakfast and a coffee myself."

They all file out of of the room and the second the door closes Zelena takes her hand from Regina and shoves her hard in the arm.

"OW! What the hell, Zee." Regina says as she rubs at her sore shoulder.

"What the hell? You're asking me 'what the hell'? Alright, so, two things. One, Emma is hot. And two, I can't believe that you brought her here with you?" Zelena starts laughing just as her contractions are starting up again. "UGH, holy fuck! Remind me later on, if I ever tell you that I want another one of these, that it really isn't worth it."

Regina grabs her sister's hand again and Zelena gladly takes it squeezing hard. "You've got this. Just breathe through it like the doctor told you."

"AHHHHH…" Zelena says in between a couple of long exhalations. "I just want this to be over."

"It's going to be over soon." Regina says as she is brushing some of Zelena's long curls away from her face. She watches intently as Zelena pushes through the pain and the agony eventually slowly fades from her sister's face. "There you go. That wasn't so bad."

"Ugh. Speak for yourself." Zelena says as she takes another long, deep breath. "Anyway, you know the moment that Mom saw Emma, that she already started thinking about what to name your babies, right?"

Regina laughs. "You're ridiculous."

"You say that because you know that I'm right." Zelena flashes her sister a brilliant smile. "Honestly though, she's really pretty, Gina. Goodness, I don't know how you do it, but you always snag the good-looking ones."

Regina shakes her head. "I haven't SNAGGED anyone, Zee. We're just friends. I've told you this already. Stop making it out to be something that it's not."

"You're friends that fuck." Zelena says plainly.

Regina shrugs. "Yes. And we're both on the same page about it. And stop it with the language. My niece or nephew is going to come out of there with a potty-mouth just like you." She says, the irritation evident in her voice.

Zelena sighs. "Alright, real talk. I just don't want you to get hurt again. That's all. It's not Emma that I'm worried about. It's you. You want everyone to believe that you have a black, cold heart, but I know better. I know that you are so very capable of falling in love, almost to a fault, because it always ends up being with someone who isn't worthy of you."

Regina smiles sadly then. Zelena is not wrong. She just had not been able to get it right, which is why with Emma, she is not going to let it happen at all. "I know that you're worried. I acknowledge your concern and I'm grateful for it as always, but I'm going to be fine. I promised myself that I would never allow what happened with Silas to happen again."

Before Zelena can argue, another contraction begins and she screeches in anguish. "I think they are getting closer together! Please call Harry! I think that it's time."

Regina does as she is told and calls Harry's cell phone. He answers and without a word from Regina, he tells her that they are on their way back to the room.

Once everyone is back, Harry calls for the doctor. Everyone is anxiously waiting when Zelena starts screaming in pain once again.

Harry is holding his wife's hand now and Regina is off to the side. Emma walks over to Regina finally and hands her the coffee that they picked up for her. "Hey, you should have a bit of this before you guys get rushed into the delivery room."

Regina smiles and nods. "Thank you." She takes her coffee and blows on it before taking a small sip. She grimaces. "This is horrible coffee." She says.

Emma chuckles. "Yeah, it's pretty bad. Sorry." She smiles apologetically.

Regina is about to tell her that her apology is silly, but she is interrupted when two nurses come into the room to prep Zelena for the delivery room. It is decided that Cora, Regina, and Harry would go with her into the delivery room while Henry and Emma waited for them right outside. Once everyone is situated and they are ready for transport, they all follow the nurses to the end of the hallway where Henry gives Zelena a kiss on the forehead before they disappear behind the double doors.

Emma sits and watches as Henry paces back and forth a few times clearly excited but nervous. "Mr. Mills?" She says.

Henry looks over at her and laughs. "Mr. Mills was my father. You can call me Henry, Emma."

Emma smiles. "Alright. Well, you should sit, Henry. This may take a while." She says.

Henry nods before taking the seat next to her. "Have you been through this before?"

Emma chuckles. "No, but I've spent a lot of time in hospitals and it's much easier to wait in a chair than it is while you're pacing."

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Henry says.

It dawns on Emma then that he has probably misinterpreted what she said. Her fault for being so cryptic. "No, it's not like that. I was practically raised in a hospital. My mom and dad both worked a lot, so I spent a lot of time with my grandfather who worked at a hospital. He was the Chief of Medicine for most of my younger years and then he took a position as the head of the oncology department. So, I hung out in a lot of waiting rooms. He was also somewhat of a celebrity in the area that I grew up in, and he would parade me around at all of the hospital functions."

Henry smiles. "He must be so very proud of you."

Emma bites softly on the inside of her cheek wondering if she should continue. She finally comes to the conclusion that she is finding this conversation with Regina's dad to be strangely comforting so she does. "He's not around anymore. He passed away a few years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Henry says solemnly.

"It's fine. Ironically, cancer took him. He spent so much of his time and money trying to fix everyone else, in the end, he couldn't even help himself." Emma realizes that the words taste a little bitter coming out of her mouth. She has been thinking all of these things for so long, but she is not sure that she has ever said them aloud.

"Well, he sounds like he was a great man." Henry says.

Emma just nods.

"So, what do you do, Emma?" Henry asks after a few more seconds of silence.

"I'm a photographer. Well, I do freelance stuff, anyway. And when I'm not working, I mostly try to fill my time with volunteer work." Emma says.

"Oh? Volunteer work at the hospital, I assume?" Henry adds with a smile.

Emma chuckles. "Yes. How'd you guess?"

"Just had a hunch." Henry says.

"Well, I volunteer at a lot of other places, too. I am passionate about a lot of causes. There's a LGBTQ youth community center that I try to help out at whenever I can. You wouldn't believe the number of kids that are on the streets because their parents put them there. It's heart-wrenching." Emma says sadly.

"I never understood that and I still don't. My girls are my world and I couldn't imagine ever loving them any less than I do. Regina was only nine or ten when she came into our bedroom and told Cora and I that she was in love." Henry laughs at the memory of his darling little girl. "She climbed into our bed, wedged her way into the spot between the two of us, and just said, 'Momma, Daddy, I'm in love with Sam. And I am going to ask her to marry me'.

Emma smiles, silently urging him to continue.

"You see, Samantha was Regina's and Zelena's nanny. She was a girl from down the street that was going to the local community college, just working to pay her way through school, and Regina was so infatuated with her."

Emma chuckles. "So, did she ever propose to Sam?"

Henry laughs boisterously and the sound echoes a bit through the hall. "You do know this is Regina we are talking about, right? Of course, she does. And Sam told her that she already had a boyfriend, so my poor babygirl was heartbroken for a whole week. In fact, she was so heartbroken, that she let Zelena have all of her desserts for that entire week because 'she couldn't taste anything sweet without hurting'."

Emma laughs. "Oh, geez."

Henry laughs again. "Yeah, she's the dramatic one, that girl. But, where I was going with the story is that when she came into our bedroom that night to tell us about Sam, Cora and I did not think twice about whom it was that she chose to love, but thought immediately about how she was going to get her heart broken. I think that some parents lose sight of what is really fundamentally important, and that for me is quite simply just that my two girls lead happy and healthy lives, always."

Emma tears up a bit but blinks them away. She thinks about her own experience and how horribly alone she felt, and still feels most of the time. "Regina is really lucky to have you and Cora as her parents." Emma says at last, her voice a bit raspy.

Henry senses from Emma's tone that there must be a story behind her sudden sadness but does not push her to tell it. "Cora and I really got lucky with those two. They were less than angels for sure, but they always got along with each other. At the very least, we didn't have to deal with much bickering when they were younger. Do you have any siblings?"

Emma shakes her head. "Nah. I'm an only child. I'm actually very envious of Regina and Zelena's relationship. It must be so nice to have someone that is constantly in your corner. I mean, I do have Ruby, she's my best friend. We've known each other since we were kids, so she's sort of like a sister to me, I guess." She nods reassuring herself before letting her mind wander to Julia. She thinks that she will probably text her later to let her know that she is in town.  _Maybe we can have dinner._

Henry smiles sadly, now even more curious about Emma's background than he was previously. But, before he can ask her anything else, the double doors open and Cora and Regina come out, walking towards them. Both he and Emma jump up from their seats quickly. "So?" Henry asks in anticipation.

"It's a boy!" Regina says with a bright smile.

"We have a grandson, Henry!" Cora says with a tearful smile of her own.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: So, I have to update early this week because I have my big Statistics final on Saturday morning and I plan to be studying most of tomorrow night. Right now, I have zero motivation so we'll see how far I get. A couple of things. Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS to the SwanQueen fandom for the big Zimbio MM win. We definitely deserved that. I would just like to say that our strength in numbers and in spirit is really a force that is admirable and worthy of recognition (even if we did not get the recognition that we all hoped for). Second, don't hate me for this chapter because of all the stuff with Julia. I promise there will be more Regina in the next chapter. I just thought that some of you could probably relate to having that annoying ex that kinda lingers-I certainly did for a long time LOL which is probably why making her dis-likable is so easy for me. :P Leave me a note! I want to hear what you think. Please and thank you, and have a great weekend!***

"Hello there, little one. I'm your Aunt Regina." Regina whispers, trying to keep her voice down so she does not startle the baby too much. "You are such a handsome boy, yes you are."

Emma smiles as she leans over Regina's shoulder to glance at the newborn, eyes still barely open but he looks attentive.

Regina can see Emma from the corner of her eye so she slowly turns her head towards the blonde and smiles.

Emma grins and then looks down at the baby again. "Hey, little guy. You're so adorable." She says and she touches the baby's cheek lightly with the tip of her finger. Then she lowers her voice a bit more so that only Regina can hear her. "Almost as cute as your Aunt Regina." She says as she chuckles at her own comment.

Regina rolls her eyes and walks over to the bed so that she can give Zelena her son back. The doctor had just finished up the discharge papers and everyone is very anxious and excited to get home, but none more so than Zelena, who seems to be surviving on pure adrenaline. "Are you ready to get out of here, Sis?" Regina asks already knowing the answer.

Harry helps Zelena into the wheelchair and immediately she reaches out for her baby. "Yes, I am. And are you ready to go home, my handsome Reese?" Reese Henry is the name that her and Harry had finally decided on. As it turns out, Harry hates the name "Harold" almost as much as she does. The baby coos as if to answer his mother and it makes everyone in the room smile.

"Why don't you and Harry go home and get a little bit of rest and we can make a run to the grocery store and buy a few things to make dinner tonight?" Cora says as they are all making their way down the long corridor of the hospital wing.

Zelena nods. "Yeah, that sounds good, Momma."

Regina agrees. "A nice meal at home does sound really good."

"Emma, do you have plans for dinner?" Henry asks.

"Umm...no, nothing in particular. I was going to just go check into the hotel and maybe order room service." Emma lies. When she sent a message to Julia earlier, they had actually made plans for dinner, but she is not too sure that right now is a good time to bring that up.

"A hotel?" Zelena asks incredulously. "That's nonsense! Regina, Emma can stay at the house. Why would you invite her to come with you and then make her stay at a hotel?"

"It was actually my idea." Emma admits. "I didn't want to impose."

"Well, Emma, Zelena's right. You really should just stay. The room that Regina uses has a large bed and I don't think she will mind sharing it." Cora adds. "We can cover the cost for your room cancellation."

"Oh, no, Mrs. Mills. That won't be necessary." Emma nervously tucks her hair behind her ear.

"You really should just stay, Emma. "You don't want to waste your time arguing with the Mills women. You probably won't win." Regina finally says with a sly grin.

Henry hums and nods in response. "She's right, Emma. Take it from an old veteran." He smiles.

Emma chuckles at this. "Alright. I'll stay. But, I do actually have something that I must do first. Um...I told a friend that I would meet her for a drink. I can just take a cab there, and then meet you all back at Zelena's place for dinner. It shouldn't take me very long."

"Oh?" Regina says as she furrows her brow at Emma. When the realization of which "friend" Emma is referring to, she tenses up noticeably. "Well, yes, of course. I'm sure that your friend is looking forward to seeing you." She says a bit harsher than is necessary. "I'll just send Zelena's address to your phone."

Emma nods and smiles awkwardly. She is sure that Regina knows that she is talking about Julia, and it makes her a bit uneasy, though she is not entirely sure why.  _Regina and I are just friends. I should be able to see whomever I want to._ "What time do you think dinner will be ready?"

"Seven." Regina says curtly interrupting her father who was also just about to speak.

"Emma, Dear, don't you worry about the time. Please just enjoy yourself." Henry says. He will need to have a talk with his youngest daughter about her manners and tone of voice later. "We'll have a plate ready for you when you arrive."

Emma smiles at Henry. "Seven should be just fine. It's going to be a very quick thing. I just wanted to catch up with her."

* * *

She sends Julia a text on her way out of the hospital changing their plans, telling her that dinner would have to wait until next time because she only had time for a drink or two tonight. Part of her is relieved, but she could not help feeling a little bit disappointed as well.

When Emma arrives at the restaurant that Julia picks out, she is already there sitting in one of the chairs by the revolving entranceway. She looks stunning, but Emma expects that. It also does not take her very long to realize that not much has changed between her and Julia. It has only been a couple of weeks since they have seen each other but it feels much longer for her, and it is still very easy to talk to the woman, that is when she can actually get a few words in at all.

_It is astonishing how much time a person can spend talking about themself._ It has been nearly an hour since Emma has arrived now and Julia has not once asked her to elaborate on anything that may be new or exciting in her life. She has not even asked her what she is doing in New York, which is something that Emma thinks was going to be the first thing she would have asked about.  _God, she probably thinks that I'm here because of her._  They finally sit down at a small table after a hellishly long wait and Emma sighs as she checks the time on her phone again.  _Shit, I'm going to be late._

"Was there somewhere else that you needed to be?" Julia asks with a grin after noticing that Emma is checking the time once again. It is interesting to her because as far as she can remember, Emma does not really know anyone else here in New York.

"Yeah..." Emma says but then shakes her head. "Well, no. I guess not really. I just need to send a quick text message. I didn't think that it would take us this long to get a table." She says as she types out a message to Regina, apologizing as she is more than likely going to be late for dinner, but telling her to just go ahead and start dinner without her because she should not be too far behind.

Julia just nods. "This place has a very popular Happy Hour. They have amazing cocktails." Julia says as she hands Emma the small laminated menu card.

Emma hums. " Okay, just one quick drink, and I'll have to get going."

Julia pouts her lower lip and frowns. Then she leans in closer to Emma. "Really? So, how long will you be in town? I thought that maybe we could go back to my place after this. You haven't seen it since I finished furnishing the place."

Emma sighs before furrowing her brow at the woman. "Jules, you can't be serious. Don't tell me that you believe for one second that taking me back to your place is a good idea."

Julia smirks. "No, you're right. It's probably not a good idea. But, it's not a horrible one right?" She adds with a raised eyebrow.

Emma just scoffs, sitting back into her chair and shaking her head. "You're unbelievable."

"C'mon, Em, tell me, where are you staying? I'm sure you haven't forgotten that I have a very large and comfortable bed." She reaches over to put her hand on top of Emma's. "You can just save money by cancelling the hotel reservations and staying with me for the weekend."

Emma looks down at Julia's hand and suddenly feels herself get a little sick to her stomach.  _Why did I even come here?_ She pulls her hand away slowly and picks up the menu card again. "I'm actually staying with a friend and her family."

Julia raises an eyebrow. "Oh? A friend that lives here in New York?" She asks.

"No, she lives in Seattle. But her family lives here and we're visiting." Emma says nonchalantly.

"Oh, so this friend... is a woman?" Julia asks, her tone now a little more cautious than before.

Emma sighs. "Yes. And before your imagination starts going wild, she's just a friend."

"I haven't said anything." Julia states, her curiosity peaking.

"No, but you were thinking it." Emma bites back.

Julia scoffs. "Well, you'd be curious, too, Emma. We just broke up two months ago and you're already traveling across the country with a 'friend'? Just a few weeks ago, you told me that you didn't want me to see you off at the airport because it would hurt too much, and now? What? I mean, you've moved on, obviously."

Emma looks over at Julia and takes a deep breath. "Wow." She says before shaking her head.

"Wow, what?" Julia asks as she folds her arms across her chest defensively.

"Wow, because you're such an ass. How's that? And in case you've forgotten, you're the one that broke up with me. It was you that didn't want THIS anymore." She says, gesturing wildly at the two of them and the empty space in between. "And god forbid, I actually move on, Jules! For fucks sake, what is it that you want from me, really? Sex? Because you know what, it's very difficult to even think about having sex with someone that has taken my heart and squeezed the life out of it." She finally stops when she sees the hurt flash across Julia's face.

"Em, I-"

Emma puts her hand up to stop Julia from finishing her sentence. "I should probably go." She says sadly. "This was a bad idea. I thought that I was ready for some closure, but I clearly am not." Emma stands up slowly, frowns at the woman still sitting there, and then and walks straight for the door. Once she is outside and can feel the cold air on her face, she takes a deep breath as tears begin to fall. She stops to gather her thoughts for a moment when she feels a hand on her arm.

"Hey, Em, I'm sorry. I-"

Emma turns towards Julia and shakes her head. "Yeah, I know. I am, too."

"I'm sorry for whatever I propositioned in there. It was pretty distasteful. Truth is, I just really miss you, Em. But we both know that I'm always going to prefer being with a man." Julia says honestly.

Emma chuckles, the gathered tears in her eyes falling as she closes them tightly. She wipes at her face again and takes a deep breath. "Yeah, I know. I miss you, too. And I'm always going to love you but you were right, we are better just as friends."

Julia nods and smiles genuinely at the blonde. "Do you need a ride somewhere? I assume that you're supposed to be meeting up with this mysterious lady you don't want to talk about."

"I'm just going to call an Uber. Thanks, though." Emma says as she pulls out her phone to make the arrangements. She checks her messages quickly also and there's no reply from Regina which makes her a bit anxious.

"Can I wait with you? Julia asks when she senses that Emma is still a little uneasy.

Emma shrugs. "Yeah, sure. It's freezing out here though. You hate the cold."

Julia shrugs and smiles. "It's been growing on me."

Emma just nods and continues with the arrangements for her ride.

"So, this new person… she must really be something, huh?" Julia asks as she nudges Emma in the shoulder.

"I don't know what you mean. I told you, she's a friend." Emma says without looking away from her phone screen.

"Well, there are a few things I may have noticed tonight that tell me otherwise." Julia says with a chuckle.

This grabs Emma's attention. "Oh yeah? Care to enlighten me? Because whatever you see, I'm clearly oblivious of."

Julia rolls her eyes. "Well, for one, you flew over here with her and you hate flying. I had to practically beg you and that's because I've known you for nearly a decade. And two, you lost your temper in there when we started talking about her."

"What? That's-"

"Emma, please, we have had that same conversation so many times. You've never reacted that way. If you want to lie to yourself about this woman, whoever she is, then you go right ahead and do that. But don't forget, we were friends before we were ever involved romantically. I can tell when you like someone. You're not very good at hiding it." Julia smiles at Emma hoping to convey her sincerity. "I know I was kind of a bitch back there…"

"Kind of?" Emma says with a grin.

Julia nods and laughs. "Alright fine, I was a total bitch back there, you happy?"

Emma laughs. "Go on…"

"But I'm really happy for you if you have found someone new. You, of all the people, really and truly deserve to be happy."

Emma bites down on her lower lip as she looks at the woman that her heart had once belonged to and realizes suddenly that this is the closure that she was hoping she would get tonight. "Thank you, Jules." She hugs Julia tightly and when they pull apart, she leans in and kisses her. The kiss lingers but is quick and for the first time in a long time, she actually finds herself wishing that she was kissing someone else. And that someone is probably going to be very angry with her if this driver does not show up soon. She pulls away and looks down at her phone again checking for the car and sees that it is just a minute away. Then she sends Regina another message telling her that she is on her way. She says goodbye to Julia again once the car arrives and gets in quickly, suddenly very eager to get back to Zelena's house.

* * *

"Hey." Emma says shyly when Regina opens the front door.

Regina looks pointedly at her but does not respond. She takes a step back so that Emma can enter the house before she shuts the door and locks it. "The dining room is this way." She says before walking away, not once looking back to make sure that Emma is actually following her.

"Hey, you made it!" Zelena says as Henry gets up to pull out a chair for Emma.

"Yes, I'm so sorry I'm late. I had no idea that all the place my friend picked out had such a long wait." Emma says apologetically.

"Stop apologizing, Emma. It is fine." Cora says as she puts a plate in front of Emma. "We had this sitting in the oven for you to keep it warm."

"Oh! Thank you. Wow. This looks great." Emma says as she looks down at her plate.

"I'm not sure if you know, but Regina is quite the cook." Henry says.

"Yeah, this nerd used to read cook books for fun in high school." Zelena says as she shoves her sister playfully.

Emma smiles as she looks over at Regina. Her expression has not changed much since they left the hospital and it makes her feel a pang of guilt. "Yeah, actually, I have been lucky enough to try her cooking and she's a phenomenal cook."

Everyone looks over at Regina then, expecting her to respond but she says nothing. When she sees everyone's eyes on her, she looks up. "What?"

Zelena rolls her eyes and sighs.

Emma clears her throat softly. Then just to change the subject, she brings up the only thing she can think of that will erase the tension in the room. "So, is Reese liking his new digs?"

* * *

"I'm going to get the dessert plates and bring out the sweets. Mom and I couldn't really decide on what would be the best, so we made a bit of everyone's favorites." Regina says before she walks into the kitchen. Her mood has not really changed at all since Emma told them that she was meeting with Julia. Even though, it was never confirmed that Emma was going to see her ex, Regina knows that she is correct in her speculation. She is hoping that her mother's famous apple pie can help to lift her spirits.

Henry wipes his mouth before putting his dinner napkin onto the table. "Emma, why don't you go into the kitchen and help Regina with the desserts. She is not joking when she says that her and her mother went a bit overboard with the options. I think she may need a hand."

"Sure." Emma says. She nervously walks around the corner and into the kitchen where she sees that Regina is just standing at the sink with both palms down on the countertop. "Hey...I'm sorry again that I was late for dinner. I sent you that message as soon as I realized that I was going to be running late."

Regina scoffs. "If you had a prior engagement, you could have just declined the dinner invitation. But, it's fine. Forget it." Regina walks over to the cabinet pulling out a few smaller plates. Then she finds the pot holders so that she can pull the pie out of the oven.

Emma frowns. "I really wanted to have dinner with you and your family. I just really needed to see Julia also…" Emma says as she trails off.

Regina feels very upset suddenly and she is not sure why.  _I have no reason to be upset at Emma for wanting to see the woman that she is in love with._ She puts the pie down onto the counter and turns back to Emma. "Then you really should have just turned down dinner." Then she picks the stack of plates up and walks back towards the dining room.

Emma rushes after her and touches her lightly on her arm, stopping her. "Hey, talk to me. I don't want you to be upset with me. I really am sorry that I was late."

Regina sighs and then walks back over to the kitchen island placing the plates on the counter once again. "Did you only agree to come to New York with me so that you can see Julia?" She asks, trying to hide the vulnerability in her voice.

"What? No. I came to New York with you because I wanted to be here for you. I…" Emma sighs. "I only texted Julia because I had this talk with your dad earlier this morning, and I just… I really needed to see her. I guess that I just really needed to find some closure."

Regina frowns. She will have to ask her father later what it is that he and Emma talked about.

Regina is still looking intently at her when the realizations hits Emma and her eyes go wide. "Wait. Are you jealous? Because, there's really nothing to be jealous of. I swear that it's completely over and done with us. I mean, we burned and buried the rest of it tonight."

"Of course, I'm not jealous. Don't be ridiculous. We aren't in a relationship, Emma." Regina says quickly, her heart suddenly racing for no apparent reason that she can think of.

"Oh, okay. Forget that I said anything, then." Emma says with a smirk.

"What on earth are you smiling at?" Regina asks.

Emma bites down on her lower lip to stop herself from chuckling. "It's just that you're very hot when you're jealous."

"I just said that I am not jealous. Now, did you come in here to actually help me with dessert, or just to stand around and watch me grab everything?" Regina asks as she is getting more and more flustered by Emma's teasing.

"Watching you do anything at all is always a good view for me." Emma says with a shrug. "And, are you actually blushing right now? Or is it the lighting in here?" Emma adds with a smirky smile. Then she grabs the apple pie and winks at Regina before walking back into the dining room and leaving Regina standing there in stunned silence.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: The chapter is going to be a little bit heavier than most of the others. I don't know about any of you, but coming out stories always tug at my heart. I not only grew up in a very traditional Chinese home, but I also grew up in Kansas which is known for its conservative views. Coming out was not easy for me. Hell, it's still not easy and I don't even live in the Midwest anymore. It still gives me so much anxiety every time I have to tell someone that I'm gay and I've been doing it for a long time. Anyway, I consider myself very lucky because I have a very supportive sister and a corner full of good friends (the family that I have chosen over the years), but I understand that it isn't always that way for everyone. To this day, my dad still refuses to acknowledge this part of my life, and I am not out to my grandparents. It's something that I had to come to terms with. I think that sharing these stories helps us to be there for each other, so if you ever need anyone to talk to, know that my inbox is always open or find me on Twitter where we are all just robots :). Please leave me a review for this chapter, even if you hate it because I love hearing from you.***

"Are you sure you don't need help with cleaning the dishes, Henry?" Emma asks again. "I would really like to help since I wasn't here to help with preparing dinner."

"Emma, you're our guest. Guests don't have lift a finger under our roof." Henry says with a smile. "Regina will help me dry the dishes and we'll be out of here before you all even get through the beginning credits of the movie. Now, go on. Go join them in the living room."

Regina squints her eyes at her father's suggestion. He has always loved doing the dishes for his girls, because it is usually a nice way for him to wind down the evening. And he hardly ever asks for help. She does not protest though, and just nods instead, walking over next to him with a towel, ready to help when Emma finally concedes and leaves them to do their work in peace.

They work in silence for a moment, and after a few dishes, Henry finally speaks up. "So, Emma is a very sweet girl." He says cautiously.

Regina sighs. She should have seen this coming. "Daddy, I expect this from Mom, but not from you."

"Hear me out, Honey." He says with a stern look.

Regina sighs again and just nods. "Yes. She is a very sweet girl."

Henry hums in agreement. "So, tell me about what happened at the dinner table earlier."

Regina frowns in confusion. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." She says honestly, very curious about what her father might be referring to.

Henry looks over at his daughter and sees genuine confusion. "I already know what you're going to say, but I'm going to ask anyway. I got the feeling that you really don't like this friend that Emma went to see today. You've been very irritable since we all parted ways at the hospital."

Regina blinks a few times, unsure of how to answer. "I mean, I don't know the woman, but from what I've heard, I guess I was just very surprised that Emma even wanted to see her at all."

"Well, it was quite evident that you were upset, Darling." He turns away from the sink and towards Regina then. "I think that you may be harboring some feelings for Emma that you may not want to admit to."

"Daddy-"

"Uh, uh." He says as he holds up one wet, soapy hand. "I'm not trying to start an argument. I just wanted to make you aware of it because I know if I see it, then your mom and sister surely see it as well, and they will not be nearly as sensible with you about this as I am trying to be right now."

Regina frowns because she knows that he is right. "Daddy, we're not dating. I know that is probably what all of you are thinking."

"It doesn't matter what I think about your love life, Regina. All I've ever cared about is what you think. And I know that I don't speak up nearly enough for you when your mother is pestering you about it. But, whatever it is you want or have with Emma, I approve. You just need to eventually find it in yourself to do the same. I have never told you this because I promised your sister I would not say anything, but Silas is a outright fool for letting you go, and if he's the reason that you are constantly holding yourself back, that's really a shame."

Regina sighs. "I'm not holding myself back, Daddy. I'm just so busy. All the time. And I'm about to get busier. Things were convenient with Silas because we worked together. I will not have Emma, or anyone else, feel like they are being neglected because I work sixty plus hours a week. That's unfair to them. I really enjoy spending time with Emma and to be honest, yes, I was a bit upset at her for going to see her ex girlfriend today, but it was only because I know how heartbroken she still is. I just really didn't want to see her hurting over it."

"Well, did you two get a chance to talk it over?" Henry asks.

"Yes. Well, sort of. She's a grown woman, and she will do whatever she wants. All I can do is voice my concerns, I suppose." Regina says with a shrug. She hesitates for a moment and remembers what she wanted to ask him. "Emma said that you two had a good chat this morning."

"Mmhmm." Henry hums.

"What about?" Regina asks curiously.

Henry chuckles. "Don't worry, Darling. It was mostly just about family, and her photography and volunteer work."

"Oh." Regina says.

"I can tell that she's got a good head on her shoulders. She seems kind, and humble. You know, just the kind of person you hope to see your little girl hanging around with." Henry says with a nudge.

Regina laughs. "Alright, alright. You're not exactly being very subtle."

Henry hands Regina the last dish and drains the sink before he washes his hands and reaches for a clean towel to dry them. Once he is finished, he pulls Regina in for a hug, leaving a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

Regina smiles as she hugs her father tighter. "I love you, too, Daddy."

* * *

 

Emma is already in bed laying on her side when Regina crawls into bed beside her. She moves around until she finds a comfortable spot before settling in and turning towards the blonde. "You must be exhausted." She says.

Emma takes a long, deep breath. "I should be. I mean, I know we've been traveling since last night and we've been on the go all day, but I'm strangely wide awake. I bet you're exhausted though. I don't think that you got any rest on the plane, and you've been on your feet all day."

Regina yawns as Emma finishes her sentence and smiles. "Yes, I'm a bit tired. I could probably sleep all through the day tomorrow."

"You think that your family will let that happen?" Emma asks with a small chuckle.

"Not a chance in hell." Regina says as she laughs softly, turning onto her back and swinging one arm up and over her eyes.

Emma cannot take her eyes off of Regina. She also has not been able to think about anything but kissing the woman since she left Julia on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. But, besides the short time they had together in the kitchen earlier, they have not had another moment alone. She reaches over slowly and slides her hand onto Regina's stomach, absentmindedly playing with one of the buttons on her pajama shirt. "I'm sorry again for today. I really didn't mean to upset you." She says softly.

Regina turns her head and looks to see that Emma is staring over at her. "It's fine. I should have been honest and just told you that I really didn't want you to see Julia. I didn't want her to hurt you again."

Emma smiles softly. "I know. It's just that I don't have many friends and Julia just happens to be one of the few close ones. It is hard to just cut her out completely. Plus, I really did think that seeing her would give me some closure."

Regina nods against her pillow. "That's fair." They lay there silently staring into each others' eyes until Regina speaks up again. "Is there something else on your mind?" She asks as she senses that Emma's mind seems to be elsewhere.

"Not really. Nothing in particular." Emma lies.

Regina sees right through Emma. She hums before turning her body over back towards Emma, and sliding herself closer to the other woman. "Are you sure about that? Do you wanna talk?" She asks again, barely above a whisper.

Emma just smiles. Talking is really the last thing that is on her mind, but after everything that has happened tonight, her showing up late for dinner, she thinks that she should probably not push her luck too quickly. "Your family is really great. You seem to have a great relationship with your mom and dad, and Zelena is a hoot. Her and Harry are going to be great parents."

Regina smiles lazily. "I do consider myself very lucky. Even though each of them can be pretty overbearing in their own way. But that's probably because I'm the baby." Regina says as she scrunches her face in mock disgust.

Emma chuckles. "There are perks to being the youngest. Or so I've observed anyway. I think that your dad favors you."

"I've never felt that way. It seems that Zee was always getting her way when we were younger. She's always been the golden child." Regina smiles softly. "For some reason, I imagine you the same way from the way you have talked about your relationship with your grandfather."

Emma frowns. Hearing Regina say that actually makes her heart clench a little. She was once her family's pride and joy. The only child to her two wonderful parents, who believed for a long time that they were unable to have children at all. Their miracle baby, is what they always called her.

"Emma?" Regina says as she watches Emma blink a few times, her attention returning to their conversation. She reaches over and puts her hand on Emma's side as she pulls herself even closer to the blonde. "Talk to me." She urges Emma this time, instead of just brushing the conversation away as she normally would.

Emma is silent for a while longer before she finally speaks up again. "Your dad told me about Sam."

"Sam?" Regina asks, a bit confused.

"Your nanny, Sam?" Emma smiles weakly. "I guess she was the first person to ever break your heart?"

Regina chuckles. "Oh, yes. She was the first." She laughs at the memory. "And she didn't even know it. She probably thought that I was just some silly, confused girl. But, from what I can remember, it felt very real."

"That is your coming out story..." Emma says.

Regina thinks about this for a moment. "Yes, I suppose so. But, I never felt that I needed one. Zelena and I were raised to believe that you love who you love. Sam was probably the only woman that I've ever loved, if you can call it that. And I was only nine at the time. She was probably at least double my age." She say as she laughs again.

"You haven't ever actually dated another woman?" Emma asks, a bit surprised.

"I didn't say that." Regina smirks. "I said she was the only one that I ever loved, but I've already told you that I don't love easily."

Emma nods suddenly wishing that she had not initiated this conversation in the first place.

"So, what's your coming out story? Did your nanny sweep you off your feet as well?" Regina tries to jest, but has a feeling that Emma may just change the subject just as she always does.

Emma frowns again.

Regina senses Emma's uneasiness right away. She reaches up slowly and touches the blonde's face gently. "Hey, you don't have to talk about anything you do want to. But, I need you to know that you can trust me, and that I'm here for you." She says to the blonde.

Emma leans her cheek into Regina's hand, really taking comfort in feel of the other woman's touch. Then without anymore hesitation, she sighs. "I told my parents that I was gay right after my high school graduation. There isn't a cute story or any epic romance, really. They caught me kissing one of my best friends at our joint graduation party." She says sadly.

Regina does not say anything hoping that Emma will continue. Instead, she takes her hand from Emma's cheeks and slides them into the covers until she finds the blonde's hand. Then she takes it and intertwines their fingers giving it a squeeze.

"They were livid. So angry that they didn't speak to me for the rest of the party." Emma scoffs as she recalls the arguments that followed. "Things got even worse when my um, grandpa, found out."

Regina frowns and immediately starts imagining the worst. She tenses as the thoughts in her mind begin to run rampant.

Regina's change in demeanor does not go unnoticed as Emma lightly gives her hand a squeeze. "Don't worry, it's probably not as bad as you think. But, they did kick me out. And my grandpa disinherited me. Right after he told me that I was a disgrace, and not worthy of anything he or my parents had ever given me, their love included. Luckily, I already had a full-ride scholarship to school. So, I moved out, I got some odd jobs and I found a way to make it all work. I met Julia and Ruby my freshman year and Ruby has been my family every since. And of course, you know about everything that happened with Julia."

Regina is still frowning and she realizes now why Emma has avoided this conversation every single time it has almost come up. "Your parents…"

"They reached out to me a few years ago. To tell me that grandpa was sick." Emma wets her lips as she feels her mouth go dry suddenly. "He was diagnosed with cancer. It had metastasized to his brain and he died a few short months after that."

"Oh, Emma…" Regina starts.

Emma cannot stop herself from feeling absolutely horrible. She remembers why she never wants to talk about what happened and up until this moment, she's only ever talked to Ruby about it. _Why am I telling a woman that I barely even know about the one thing that haunts me the most?_ "They begged me to go see him. They told me that it was his dying wish." She tries to smile but instead feels tears being to well up in her eyes.

Regina's frown deepens as she releases Emma's hand so she can wipe the tears from the her face.

Emma takes Regina's hand pulling her palm to her own lips and kissing it lightly. "I didn't go." She says as she pulls Regina's hand away from her lips again. "I didn't want to see him, I didn't want to see my parents. I just… I didn't go."

"Emma, you don't have to feel guilty for that." Regina says hoping that would somehow ease Emma's pain.

"A few weeks later, I get a call from this lawyer and I find out that my Gramps left a letter for me. When the guy drops it off, it's in this envelope and it's super thick, like it was pages long or something. The guy told me that after I read it, I would have to give him a call because there were other things that required my attention. I almost didn't read it. I was going to rip it up right there. But, Ruby eventually talked me into opening it."'

"What did it say?" Regina asks.

Emma shuts her eyes willing the rest of the unshed tears to flow down her face. "He apologized. For all of it. Basically, it said that he wished that he could take back everything that he said and that he was a fool. That he loved me… And, it said, with exception to his house in Queen Anne, which he gave to my mom and dad, that everything else to his name, including the condo that I live at now, and all of his other, many assets, would belong to me. All of it."

And it suddenly dawns on Regina why Emma is always trying to avoid talking about her grandfather. And it starts to make more sense why she does freelance work and volunteer job, instead of working as a professional photographer or anything else full time.

"And I never even went to see him." Emma says as she takes another deep breath, trying to compose herself. "I have all of this money that I don't even deserve and there are days when that's so hard to live with."

Regina looks at Emma and frowns. "Oh, Emma... How can you even think for a second that you don't deserve any of it? You're the only heir."

"Yeah, an heir that thought she was disinherited. And not only was that not true, but when he needed me the most, I was too stubborn and angry to go see him. To be there for him." Emma says.

"Emma, you had...have, every right to be angry with your family for the way they treated you. You did not deserve any of that." Regina says suddenly feeling very protective of Emma, wishing that she had known her in her younger years. "And just because your grandfather left you everything to his name, does not make what he said to you all those years ago acceptable. And I highly doubt that it took away any of the pain that you went through. This may sound like a horrible thing to say, but I don't think that you have any reason to feel guilty."

Emma blinks a few times, her mind lost somewhere amid her own thoughts and Regina's words. "My grandpa was a great man." Emma finally says as the good memories of her grandfather begin to surface.

Regina frowns. "A great man does not turn away someone that he loves because of something that he does not understand." She says hoping that she is not overstepping, but also just really wanting to speak her mind.

Emma does not respond to this, but she knows that there is at least a bit of truth to what Regina is saying. She was not expecting to tell Regina about her past tonight, or ever if she could help it, and now that she has, she feels strangely relieved.

The silence makes Regina nervous and she wishes that she could take back what she has just said. "Emma, I'm sorry. I shouldn't-"

Emma cuts her off with a kiss. It starts off a bit forceful, with Emma pouring all of the feelings that she has been harboring all night long into the moment. Regina does not seem to care however, so she pushes forward until she is practically on top of the brunette. Regina wraps her arms around Emma's neck as the the blonde continues kissing her.

When Regina finds herself out of breath, she finally pulls away. "Hey…" She says as she holds Emma's cheek with one of her hands while she is rubbing circles on the back of the woman's neck with the other. She looks into Emma's eyes then, and sees so much vulnerability. "I think that maybe we shouldn't…"

Emma frowns. "Oh...I'm sorry." She says as she pulls her body away from Regina's a bit ashamed of herself.

Regina reaches over quickly pulling Emma close once again. "No..." She says as she leans in capturing Emma's mouth with hers, this kiss much softer than before. When she pulls away, Emma still has her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. "You don't have anything to apologize for, alright? I care a lot about you, Emma. I just really didn't want to take advantage of you and the moment we shared by immediately jumping into sex." She smirks. "No matter how much I want you right now."

Emma nods as she realizes why Regina makes her feel so incredible all the time. From the very first moment that they met on the plane, she has always made Emma feel so safe. And that is something that she has spent so much time longing for. "I really want you, too." She finally says, earnestly and barely above a whisper.

Regina bites down on her lower lip as she studies Emma's expression, hoping she can hold herself back, but it does not take very long before she has run out of reasons not to just push the blonde down onto the bed and straddle her, so she leans in for another long, passionate kiss before doing just that.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Note: Hey guys! Did you watch tonight's episode of Once? YAY for Lana's Directorial Debut! So...I'm so very sorry that I didn't get to update this story last week. I was traveling for school and spent my weekend in Syracuse, NY. I have to say to anyone that lives on the East Coast, your winters don't mess around--it snowed every day I was there. We did a campus tour in a blizzard LOL. Anyway, so naturally, I got sick and it turned into a cruddy sinus infection, then I missed a connecting flight back to Seattle because of weather delays...it has just been one helluva week. I'm just really hoping that this update will tide you over until next Friday. I promise that there are some exciting things coming! I just have to build up to all of those moments. You understand, right? :) Enjoy it and leave me a note and tell me what you think.***

"I have a non-fat, extra hot, no foam, two-Stevia latte for Regina. And a mocha with extra whip and cinnamon powder for Emma." The barista calls out.

"I'll go get them." Emma says as she rushes off towards where their drinks are now sitting on the counter.

Regina looks up from her computer and watches as Emma swerves around the people that are standing around in the crowded cafe. Earlier this morning when she slowly found consciousness again after a very long but amazing night with Emma, her sleepy eyes were met with bright, piercing green ones. The smile on Emma's face was so sweet that it made her insides feel all knotted up. She wanted to stay right there, and in Emma's arms all day long, but instead she reluctantly forced herself up and out of bed. She had to remind herself that whatever they have going on between them is, and needs to stay casual.

Whenever she and Emma spent time together, with or without them ending up in bed, Regina has expected there to be an awkwardness that follows immediately after. And yet, it has never happened. Her mind drifts back to last night. Even though she knows that it is not what Emma would want, after their conversation, she sees the younger woman in somewhat of a different light. The woman she has gotten to know over the course of the last few weeks, is strong and independent. She always smiles easily and lives as though she has no demons, but Regina knows now that is not entirely true. Neither of them has brought up the conversation again and Regina knows that is probably for the best. At least for now. She is still watching Emma as she heads back to the table with a brilliant smile on her face and she could not help from smiling back at the blonde.

Emma places Regina's coffee onto the table, careful not to spill it as the mug is extremely full. "Here is your incredibly ridiculous coffee order, beautiful lady." She says with a smirk.

Regina rolls her eyes. "Stop exaggerating. It was not even that bad."

Emma laughs. "Tell that to the poor barista that was taking the order and had to make it."

Regina shakes her head as she brings the mug up to her mouth, carefully taking a sip. "Mmm. This is delicious." She says before placing her drink back down into the table. "How did you know about this place, again?"

Emma takes a drink of her mocha. "Well, it was one of the few places that I liked when I was here a few weeks back." She hesitates for a few seconds wondering whether she should add her next thought and does so anyway. "It is pretty close to where Julia works…"

Regina hums when she remembers the sole reason for Emma's trip to New York before was to help Julia get settled in. "Oh, I see." She says slowly before turning her attention back to the computer screen.

"You really are super cute when you're jealous." Emma says teasingly with a grin as she leans over the table towards Regina.

"Don't flatter yourself. I was merely acknowledging your last statement." Regina says trying hard to hide the irritation in her voice but realizes right away that her tone is too harsh.

"Alright, alright." Emma concedes with her hands up in surrender. Regina's comment stings her a bit, but she does not want to argue or push the subject further so she just gets up and walks over to a coffee table where there is a disarray of already read newspapers. She shuffles through them until she finds what she is looking for before walking back to their table. Then without even a glance in Regina's direction, she takes another sip of her drink and opens the sports section from three days ago.

Regina immediately feels a pang of guilt the moment Emma gets up and walks away from where they are sitting. When Emma sits back down in her seat, Regina tries to make eye contact so that she can apologize, however she finds Emma avoiding her gaze. She finally slides her computer over to the side so that she can lean over on the table towards. "Hey…"

Emma peaks over the top of the newspaper. When she sees the concerned look on Regina's face, she lowers the newspaper completely. "What's wrong?" Emma asks with a frown.

"I'm sorry." Regina says.

Emma scrunches her face in confusion, unsure of what Regina is apologizing for.

Regina sighs. "So, I may have been a tiny bit jealous…"

Emma smiles brightly, her heart suddenly beating a lot faster because of Regina's confession. Without letting herself overthink the moment, she quickly leans in and kisses her.

Regina's eyes widen in surprise but recovers quickly as she reaches up to take hold of Emma's face, pulling her in so that she could deepen the kiss.

Emma moans softly before smiling into the kiss when suddenly she hears a very familiar voice.

"Emma?"

Emma pulls back suddenly and looks up and towards the voice.

Regina looks up as well at the woman standing over them and then looks back over to Emma who still has a look of shock on her face.

"Julia! Hey!" Emma says as she clears her throat.

Julia smiles at Emma. "Hey, to you, too." Then she turns towards Regina. "Hello."

Emma clears her throat awkwardly again. "Uh, Julia, this is Regina. Regina, this is Julia."

Regina forces a smile and reaches out her hand. "Hello. It's very nice to meet you." She says.

"Likewise." Julia says with a smile of her own. "I was just grabbing a coffee and heading into work. What are you up to so early in the morning? It is rare to catch you out of your pajamas until well after noontime." She asks Emma.

Emma rubs the back of her neck anxiously. "Uh...Regina needed to get some work done and I remembered that I liked this place so..."

"Ahhh." Julia says with a smirk. "I should really leave you two to your work then. I need to start making my way to the office anyway. Again, it was very nice to meet you, Regina." She says, turning towards the brunette.

Regina smiles, more genuinely than before. "Yes. It was a pleasure."

Both Emma and Regina watch as Julia walks out the door and down the sidewalk, disappearing into the morning crowd. Emma lets out the breath she has been holding and when she finally focuses her attention to Regina again, she sees the woman studying her. Before she can say anything, her phone vibrates inside her pocket. She frowns, but quickly pulls it out to see a message from Julia.

" _She's beautiful, Em. You should tell her how you really feel. And please call me the next time you two are in town. We should grab lunch. Talk to you soon. Safe travels. <3"_

Regina watches as the crinkle on Emma's forehead smooth out and a small grin forms onto her lips. This causes a sudden unease in her, but she squashes the feeling almost immediately as she pulls her computer back towards herself so that she can focus her attention on her emails once again. Seconds later she feels Emma slide into the chair next to her and turns to see Emma looking at her with a sly smile. Regina raises an eyebrow wordlessly.

"So...I think we were kind of in the middle of something before we got interrupted." Emma says.

Regina rolls her eyes at the blonde before looking away again. "I have work to do, Emma. That is the actual reason that we came out here today. I can't get any work done at the house with the baby, and with everyone that's there fussing over him."

"I know." Emma says with a small nod. "But, I thought that we had a moment just now, that's all. Thanks a lot Jules."

Emma says that last part under her breath but it does not go unnoticed by Regina. She presses her lips together contemplating her next words before turning towards Emma. "Julia seems very nice. She's also very pretty. I can see why you're still in love with her…" Regina says, keeping her tone as even as possible.

Emma frowns. "She is. But, I realized yesterday, that while I love her very much and I probably always will, I'm not in love with her anymore. I mean, it's actually a really strange feeling, because I don't think that anyone expects to just wake up one morning after being in love with another human being for so long, just to come to a realization that you maybe don't feel that way any longer. And to be completely honest, that's not even what I'm really feeling right now…"

Regina rests her elbow on the table and props her head up, resting her hand on the side her neck casually. "Hmmm…" She says as she thinks about what Emma is saying. "So, what is it that you think you are you feeling?"

Emma shrugs. "Just relieved, I think." Emma blinks a few times before pulling her chair a bit closer to Regina. "Regina, I've never told anyone besides Ruby and Julia about my family's reaction to my coming out. Or about the money, or my grandpa. Jules and Ruby have always been my rock and when things fell apart with Julia, I thought that I had lost that second lifeline that I've always held onto so tightly. But, then I met you, and that sort of changed my life in a way that I didn't think was possible. I mean, I've known you for what? Three weeks? And I already feel like I've known you my entire life." Emma takes a deep breath just so she can gather the courage to continue with what she is really needing to tell the woman in front of her. She reaches over and takes the hand that Regina has in her lap into both of hers and squeezes it. "I guess what I'm really feeling right now is that-"

Regina's phone starts ringing, a picture of Zelena flashing on the lit screen, and both her and Emma stare over to it. Regina frowns, slowly pulling her hand away from Emma and picks it up to answer it. "Hey, Zee. Yes, Emma and I stepped out so that I could do some work. I had some urgent emails that I really had to respond to. Yeah, we're not too far from the house. We'll pick up some pastries and head back there as soon as I finish these two things. Alright, sounds good. Love you, too. Bye." Regina shakes her head but smiles. "I think they miss us. I have to finish up a few things and then I said that we would pick up some breakfast for everyone on the way back."

Emma nods and smiles even though she is more than a little irritated that she was not able to get the most important part of her declaration out. "Yeah, okay." She starts to get up out of the seat so that she can go back to the other side of the table where her mocha and her newspaper are still sitting.

"Hey…" Regina says as she stops Emma from getting up by reaching out for her arm. "I'm really happy to hear that you seem to be figuring out your feelings regarding Julia. And, thank you, for sharing those things with me about your past and about your family. You should know, I feel the same way…"

"The same way?" Emma asks hopefully.

"About feeling connected to you even though we have only known each other for such a short period of time. I may not be another lifeline to you, but I will certainly be a friend. You can lean on me anytime you feel that you need it, Emma." Regina says as she gives Emma's arm a light squeeze. As much as she hates to admit it, Emma does mean a lot to her. Seeing the younger woman so upset and vulnerable last night was a rare gift and Regina wants nothing more than for Emma to know and understand that she will always have her undying support.

Emma smiles as she swallows the lump in her throat. "Yes, friends. Of course." She nods her head towards Regina's computer. "You better hurry up and finish whatever it is that you need to do. We have a whole house of people counting on us for breakfast."

* * *

 

"Em, why are you being this way right now? She obviously likes you, too!" Ruby says.

"Yeah, I know. She likes me as a friend. That is exactly what she said, Rubes. 'I will certainly be a friend.'" Emma says with a dejected sigh as she remembers the conversation she had with Regina over a week ago now. Lucky for her, the day after their chat in the coffee shop, Regina was asked to go back into work to play hostess to a few visitors from the UK. Emma had to admit that it was a relief because she was having a real difficult time keeping the smile on her face after their heart-to-heart.

"I mean, c'mon. You know that I don't believe that two people can have casual sex without stumbling onto romantic feelings. I think that all you have to do is give her a nudge. She probably just thinks that all you want from her is a little nookie here and there. So, tell her that you definitely want that, but that you want her heart, too." Ruby says chuckling.

Emma shakes her head. "You are a regular Casanova, you know that, right? And I am not going to tell her anything. I tried that already and it bombed."

Ruby sighs. "Okay, serious talk, babes. All you really have to do is woo her. You act as though you have never charmed your way into a girl's heart before. That's totally your thing."

Emma frowns. "How do I pursue someone who isn't even looking for anything serious? Regina doesn't want a relationship." Emma runs her hands through her hair in frustration. "I'm so stupid. She's told me that over and over, and I still manage to fall head over heels for her. Why do I always do this?"

Ruby slides herself over closer to Emma on the sofa and puts an arm around her best friend. "Babes, just try it. Didn't you say that Regina's birthday is some time next week? So, do something sweet for her. Something so super Emma-esque that she will change her mind about not wanting a relationship. Make her fall for you, too."

Emma looks over at Ruby and bites down on her lower lip contemplating Ruby's idea. "Her birthday is on the first. You think that I should do something for her?" She asks quietly.

"Em, that's the perfect time to do something! I mean, you can always wait until Valentine's Day, but that's way too cliché, even for you. I think that a sweet birthday gesture might be more subtle and definitely more your style." Ruby says as she nods enthusiastically.

Emma considers this for a moment.  _I could just have flowers sent to Regina's office. That is low-key enough to where I can play it off as a friendly gesture if I get the feeling that it will blow up in my face again. Or, I can ask Regina if I can take her out for dinner that night. It would just be a normal Thursday night dinner, nothing too special._ Emma is so lost in her thoughts that she does not hear that Ruby is talking to her until she feels her best friend elbow her lightly. "What? Sorry did you say something?"

Ruby laughs. "I said, I can hear the gears in your head turning, they are grinding so hard. I'm hoping that means that I gave you some good, solid advice." She says with a wink.

Emma shrugs and then smirks at Ruby. "I guess it's not your worst idea. I think I may give it a shot."

"'Atta girl!" Ruby says as she wraps both arms around Emma in a bear hug, squeezing until they are both a fit of snorts and giggles.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Note: You guys probably won't like me very much for this one. Actually, the next few chapters are going to be just as annoying, but will it make you feel better if I promise that the ending will be worth it? I also have an epilogue planned for this story as well and I think that you'll like it. Just bear with me through a few more rough chapters, okay?
> 
> I hope that everyone is had a good week. If you're in Chicago for OUATCHI this weekend, I hope that you have the best time and please stay warm! As always, let me know what you think, even if you hate it. The reviews always makes it so much easier to continue writing. Enjoy!***

Regina strolls into the building on Thursday morning with a very large coffee in hand. Since she has returned from New York, there have been countless meetings about the company's upcoming merge and an overwhelming amount of paperwork and preventative maintenance. There have not been any announcements made to the rest of the company as of yet, but her and the rest of upper management have been spending a lot of time preparing for when that time comes. Had it not been for the birthday wishes she received through text messages this morning, all from her family and a few close friends, the actual date would have slipped her mind completely.

Regina walks straight towards her office, greeting a few people on her way there, but stops abruptly when she sees a very embarrassingly large bouquet of red roses on her assistant's desk. "Wow, Jordan! These are beautiful. This new guy of yours has already outdone that last one. What's the occasion?" Regina asks as she leans over to take in the scent of a few of the flowers closest to her.

Jordan smiles brightly. "Well, I was hoping that you could tell me. They're for you."

"For me?" Regina asks incredulously. She has never had anyone send her flowers before, let alone to the office.

"Yep." Jordan says still smiling. "A courier just dropped them off not too long ago. I just haven't had the chance to bring them into your office. Here, I'll follow you in with them." She says as she walks around her desk and takes the arrangement with both hands.

"Oh…thank you." Regina says walking slowly towards her personal work space, her mind still preoccupied with the thoughts of who the flowers might be from.

Jordan places the vase on top of a large flat surface by where the windows are, and the sunlight from outside, a rarity this time of year in Seattle, makes the water and crystal glisten. She notes once again how pretty they look before turning her attention back towards Regina. "So…" She starts, hoping that Regina will tell her who the sender of the flowers is. "What's the occasion?" She asks with a smirk as she realizes she is only repeating what her boss has just asked her minutes ago.

"Oh, It's nothing special, really. It's my birthday today. They are probably from my family." Regina says even though she is pretty sure they are not.

"OH, what?! Happy birthday, Regina! And that is too special! I love birthdays." Jordan says excitedly, clapping her hands together for emphasis.

"When you are my age, birthdays become less exciting, believe me." Regina smiles thinking about how Jordan had just turned 23 a few months ago. This is her first job since graduating university last June and her enthusiasm about most or all things is what really drew her towards the young woman. "But thank you. You're sweet."

Jordan just laughs and shakes her head. "You're not even that old, boss. If I look half as good as you do at your age, I'd be very grateful. So, anyway, who are they from?" She asks with a nod of her head towards the roses, specifically at the small envelope that is propped up with a card holder in the middle of the bouquet.

Regina sighs and reaches for the note. She does not realize until after she pulls the card out of its holder, that was holding her breath. When she reads the note on the card, she sighs. "All it says is 'Happy Birthday'." She says as she turns the card over to make sure she has not missed any other messages or the name of the sender. But, there is nothing there and the handwriting is not one that she recognizes.

Jordan smirks again. "Well, that's strangely romantic. Maybe you have a secret admirer."

Regina laughs. "Or it's incredibly creepy. You've obviously just been reading too many of those internet love stories that you love so much. Whatever you call them."

"It's called fanfiction, Boss! And it totally is romantic." Jordan says as she rolls her eyes at Regina. "I mean, you know that you're going to be thinking about it all day until you find out who it is. And who knows, maybe there will be some sort of follow up." She adds with a cute wiggle of her eyebrows.

This time, Regina rolls her eyes. "Alright, out. Take all of that romance and fanfiction knowledge back to your desk and finish up those pivot tables that I requested from you on Monday. I really need them for the board meeting tomorrow morning."

Jordan backs out of the rooms slowly, still smiling at Regina. "I'm almost done with them actually. You'll have them within the hour, Boss. Oh, and before I forget, Silas called maybe fifteen minutes before you got here and told me to have you give him a ring once you have time. I think it has something to do with the meeting tomorrow."

Regina grunts audibly before nodding. "Thank you. I'll call him now so I can get the worst part of today over with." She says which makes her assistant chuckle.

Jordan is very much aware of the gossiping that goes on behind Regina's back and has been the only person ever to actually openly ask her about it. It happened about four months after she began working as Regina's assistant and even though she could tell that Regina was taken aback with the bluntness of it, she also seemed quite impressed with her reluctance to trust what she was hearing around the office without knowing what was actually true.

Normally, Regina would not feel the need to divulge any personal details to anyone she works with, especially to a subordinate of hers, but from the moment she met Jordan, she knew that she would be very different from everyone else she's worked with. In some odd way, she knew that she could trust her. And so, that evening, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, they went out for a drink and she told Jordan the truth.

From the very beginning of their time together, Jordan has really admired Regina's dedication and all the long hours she puts into her work. It did not surprise her to hear the rumors that were circulating about her boss and the president of the company. They are both extremely driven people, and are probably very well-suited for each other. Either way, it was really no one's business, and some of the things she heard were just so incredulous. The more she got to know Regina, the more she knew that there was very little truth to what anyone was saying, so when Regina confirmed what was true and what was fiction, it made it so much easier to disregard the mindless chatter going on all around her. Regina never spoke ill of Silas but the more she learned about him through others in the company, the more she felt that Regina is better off now than she was before he moved to their Los Angeles branch.

"Well, if you need backup, just shoot me a signal. I'll dial in and pretend that you have someone on another line." Jordan says with a wink.

Regina chuckles and shakes her head before finally sitting down and reaching for her desk phone, quickly pushing the speed dial button for Silas' office line. It rings only once before she hears his voice on the other end.

"Regina. Hey." Silas says smiling into the receiver.

"Hi. Jordan said that you called and that it sounded important." Regina says, cutting straight to the chase. Small talk with Silas is not something that she has ever been very fond of.

"Oh, well. It is a bit last minute but there are a few board members flying into Seattle this afternoon and they wanted all of us to get together for a cocktail hour. I just wanted to make sure that you are going to be there."

"Are you in Seattle already? I thought you weren't coming in until late tonight."

"I am at LAX now. I land in Sea-Tac at around three. I will check into the hotel and freshen up and I made reservations at Six Seven for five-thirty. Most of us are staying at the Edgewater so I thought that we'd just meet there." Silas says.

Regina sighs. She was not expecting to have to entertain all these men again tonight. She just does not seem to have any time away from work anymore and that is so frustrating. She looks over at the bouquet of roses again and suddenly thinks about Emma. They have not seen each other since they got back from New York, and she wonders if the flowers could be from her. Regina smiles to herself as she thinks about Emma weaseling her passport from her when they were at the airport and making a point to note her date of birth.

"Regina? You still there?" Silas asks a bit concerned.

"What? Yes, I'm still here. Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay with the time. If it's too early, I can change the reservations to a bit later if you want." Silas says.

Regina would much rather it be an early night because she suddenly really wants to see Emma. Maybe she can text the blonde and ask her to come over tonight for a nightcap. "No, the earlier the better. We all have to be up in the morning for a long day of meetings. I'll see you over there at five-thirty."

"Alright. I'll see you later, then." Silas says smiling.

"Sure. Bye." Regina says before hanging up quickly without waiting on response form the other end. She looks over at the roses again and smiles to herself. She reaches into her bag for her cell phone and is just about to dial Emma when she hears her office phone buzzing at her.

"Regina, I have Mark from accounting holding on line one for you. He needs your help with some of the charts he is putting together for the meeting tomorrow." Jordan explains.

Regina sighs and puts her cell phone down. "Go ahead and patch him through. Thanks, Jordan."

* * *

 

Regina spends the rest of her morning preparing for the board meeting and looking over the reports that Jordan had helped her put together. It was not until Jordan knocked on her door telling her that she was going to step out for lunch that Regina noticed that it is already well after noon. Jordan offers to pick up a salad for her on the way back and Regina gladly accepts. She sits back in her chair for a moment, removing her glasses so she can give her eyes a quick second to rest, when she remembers that she had never called Emma to ask her about any plans she might have tonight.

She quickly grabs her phone to see that she has one missed call but no voicemail. She unlocks her phone to see that it is a call from none other than the woman that has been on her mind. She smiles before hitting the call button. It rings only once before she hears the most cheerful voice on the other end of the line.

"Why, hello there, Beautiful." Emma says with a big smile. "I was hoping that I'd hear from you soon. Happy birthday."

Regina cannot help smiling. "Thank you." She thinks about bringing up the flowers but decides to let Emma do that herself. "I feel like we haven't talked or seen each other in a long time." She says instead.

Emma chuckles. "It's been a few weeks. But, we text every other day or so. That kinda counts as talking."

Regina shakes her head but the smile never leaves her face. "Hardly." There is a small but comfortable silence that lingers before she speaks up again. "So, what are you doing tonight?"

"I was actually just going to ask you the same thing. I would really like to take you out to dinner if you don't already have plans." Emma says hoping that she can use the special occasion to her advantage.

"I have a meeting tonight. But, I was hoping that I could see you afterwards…" Regina bites down on on her lip anxiously waiting for Emma to respond.

"Really? You have a meeting, tonight? But, it's your birthday." Emma says trying to hide her disappointment.

"It's not really a meeting. Everyone is in town for a meeting we are having tomorrow. And Silas has reservations for us all to meet for dinner tonight at the Edgewater. It's going to be a fairly early thing though. I just have to make a quick appearance. I shouldn't be later than seven-thirty or eight." Regina says.

Emma all but growls at the sound the arrogant man's name. "And you are sure that you want me to come over that late? You have a big day tomorrow."

"Well, I wouldn't have asked for it if I didn't want it, and I should get what I want. It is my birthday, after all." Regina says playfully.

Emma smiles. "Well, you're not wrong. Whatever you want, birthday girl."

"Great." Regina says. "So, I'll see you tonight, then."

"Yeah. You want to just call or shoot me a message when you're on your way home from the dinner? And I can meet you there?" Emma says.

"Sounds like a date."

Emma beams at Regina's choice of phase. "Okay, then. I, uh, should probably let you get back to work. I have some things I need to finish up before tonight also and I haven't even started." She says as she chuckles nervously.

"I suppose that I should look over a few more things before lunch. I'll see you tonight." Regina says.

"I can hardly wait." Emma says grinning dumbly.

* * *

 

Regina hands her keys to the valet and walks into the hotel as she makes her way to where the restaurant is. Right after her quick phone call with Emma, she realized that the roses never came up in their conversation and that she would have to properly thank her for them later tonight. She was so busy the rest of the afternoon that she hardly touched her salad, so the smell of food as she walks up to the entrance of the restaurant makes her stomach grumble.

The man at the host podium greets her with a bright smile. "How may I help you, MIss?

"I believe that there may be a reservation at five-thirty under the name Silas or Montgomery." Regina says politely.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Montgomery has already arrived. Please follow me this way."

Regina walks with the man into the restaurant and when she sees Silas sitting by the window with a gorgeous view of the Sound, at a table for two, she furrows her brows in confusion.

As the host and Regina approaches the table, Silas stands up as the man pulls out Regina's seat for her. After they are both seated again, the host bows before walking away, back to the front of the restaurant. Silas avoids Regina's glare as he pours her a glass of wine from a bottle that he already has chilling at the table. When their eyes finally meet, he can see that she is visibly upset.

"What the hell is this?" Regina asks in a harsh whisper, not wanting to cause a scene in such a nice restaurant. "Where is everyone else?"

Silas frowns. "I lied about the meeting. I just really wanted to have dinner with you for your birthday."

Regina sighs in frustration. "Silas. Why would you do that?"

"Would you have said 'yes' had I just asked you this morning if I could take you out to dinner?"

"No." Regina says without having to ponder her answer for even a second.

"See?" Silas reasons.

"So, you resort to lying to get me here, because that is the better alternative? Silas, that's not only ridiculous, it's depraved. Even for you." Regina says even more frustrated than before as she starts to get up.

Silas gets up as well reaching out so that he can stop her from leaving. "Regina, please. I'm sorry. If you don't want to have dinner, that's fine. But, stay and have a glass of wine with me. Just one. And then you can go." He says pleadingly.

Regina studies him for a second trying to gauge his sincerity. She finally just sighs and pulls her chair back out and sits down. She hates herself for it but she has always been such a sucker for those damned puppy dog eyes of his. "One drink. And then I'm leaving."

Silas holds both hands up in surrender. "Whatever you want, Princess."

"Call me that again, and you'll be cleaning my one drink off of your face." Regina says, completely serious.

Silas just shakes his head and chuckles. They sit in silence for a moment longer before he finally dares to speak again. "Happy birthday, Regina. I hope that you liked the flowers that I sent to the office for you today."

Regina's eyes go wide with surprise. "The roses were from you?"

Silas smiles and nods slowly. He had planned to talk to Regina after dinner, but that does not seem to be the case anymore. "I have been thinking about us a lot lately."

Regina frowns. "About us? What exactly is there to think about?"

"After seeing you at Christmas, I realized just how much I really miss you. Then I flew into town to see you at the ball and you didn't seem at all interested. I've been so miserable all month, and I know that I screwed things up between us. I really-"

"Silas, wait. Please stop. Why are you doing this?" Regina says suddenly feeling like her head is spinning.

Silas looks at Regina and frowns again. "Regina, I know now that I've been an idiot, and I want you back. I am willing to do whatever it takes. I can step down from this position, and I can come back to Seattle…"

"Whoa...whoa. Just, stop. You can't just give up being the president of the company. That isn't what you want. And I am most certainly not what you want either. You made that point perfectly clear." Regina says as she remembers the conversation that forced her to end things between them in the first place.

"It wasn't what I wanted at the time, no, but now, when I think about the things I want for my future and what I want outside of just working sixty hours a week, all that matters to me is you. I want you. And I want to wake up next to you every morning, and I want to spend all of my weekends and holidays with you..."

Regina blinks a few times trying to register what it is that is actually going on right now. She plays Silas' words over a few more times in her mind before she unexpectedly begins to feel physically ill. "You know what? I can't have this conversation with you right now. I need to go." She gets up and looks around for her coat. She quickly realizes that she had never taken it off so she grabs her purse and turns back to Silas who is also standing now, with both hands in his pockets, looking about as miserable as she has ever seen him.

"Regina, I love-"

Regina cuts him off, walks over to him and angrily points a finger in his face. "You know what? How dare you. I was so in love with you! How dare you pull all this shit on me now, when it took me over a year to get over all of it. You are a selfish son of a bitch." Then without a glance back, she turns and walks away from him and out of the restaurant.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Note: I'm not going to lie, the closer I get to finishing this story, the more depressed I get. It's funny because I never intended for this story to be longer than just a one-shot and here I am, 50,000 words later, with the last four chapters plus an epilogue completely outlined and ready to be finished. It's also completely ridiculous that I had zero inspiration to write anything at all until I started grad school. I really have you all to thank for that. There are so many wonderful writers out there producing all of these amazing works, so I'm extremely grateful that you've taken the time to read this story. And those of you that leave me reviews time and time again, you're my personal writing angels. You've been such a great source of motivation and I wouldn't still be doing this without your support. Now, as far as this new chapter is concerned, there's still drama to come, so brace yourselves. Let me know what you think, and I'll see you all again next Friday!***

Regina has been home for hours now, her conversation with Silas playing over and over in her mind. She wanted to call Zelena, but before she told anyone else about his confession, she wanted to know for certain that she had her own feelings sorted out. In truth, if Silas had told her he loved her six months ago, she may have considered picking up where they left off. But now, she is not sure what she wants anymore.

Regina has both hands wrapped around a glass of wine, and is fully lost in thought when she hears a knock on her door. She sets the glass on the coffee table and walks over to see who it could possibly be. She opens the door without looking through the peephole and to her surprise, she sees a familiar face with a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers in one hand and a large wrapped gift underneath her other arm. "Emma! Oh shit, I'm so sorry. I forgot to call you…" She says, feeling horrible that her plans with Emma had completely slipped from her mind.

Emma smiles, but is suddenly very uncomfortable, thinking that maybe Regina did not want her to stop by after all. "l headed this way thinking that your dinner was just running late, so I thought that I'd just wait in the lobby for you. But, then I saw Frank at the door and he told me you were home already so I came up. I'm sorry, I...I can go." Emma says as she tries to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"No, no." Regina says shaking her head. "Come in. Some things came up at the dinner and I just...my thoughts have been a bit preoccupied. I did mean to call you. I promise." Regina says as she waits for Emma to walk into the suite before she shuts the door again.

Emma turns back towards Regina and can see that she clearly looks upset about something. "So, um...these are for you." She says as she sticks her arm out quickly pushing the flowers towards Regina awkwardly. "Happy birthday, again."

Regina smiles genuinely at Emma's nervousness. and takes the flowers from her outstretched arms. "They're lovely, Emma. I'll go put them in some water." She walks into the kitchen, opens up one of the highest cabinet doors and pulls out a crystal vase. She fills it with water, places it on the counter, and then examines the ends of the flowers before adding them the the vase as well. When the arrangement is to her liking, she leans into it so that she can take in the scent of them before turning to Emma once again. "Thank you. I love them."

Emma relaxes a little and smiles when she sees Regina smiling. "You're welcome. I also got you this." She says as she holds up the wrapped gift that she had under her arm. "It's nothing extravagant but I hope that you like it."

Regina walks back over to Emma and hesitantly takes the gift from her. She pulls it to her chest and holds it there, wrapping her arms around it without taking her eyes away from the blonde's. "Emma, you didn't have to get me anything at all. You're too sweet." Then she puts the gift down by one of the end tables closest to her, before walking straight into Emma and wrapping her arms around the younger woman in a tight embrace.

Emma hugs Regina back and can feel the woman relax into her arms. She really does not want to let go, but when she finally does, and pulls back so that she can look at Regina, she can still see the pensive look upon her face. She frowns. "So, what happened tonight? You mentioned that dinner didn't go well?"

Regina sighs as she leans in again and lays her head upon Emma's shoulder. "God, now that I think about it, that was probably hugely understated."

Emma pulls away reluctantly again and takes Regina's hands, pulling her over towards the couch so that they can both sit down. "We don't have to talk about it. But if you want to, I am here to listen."

Regina pulls her legs up and tucks them beneath her. She chews on the inside of her cheek for a moment wondering if telling Emma about what Silas said to her tonight would be a good idea. When she feels Emma slide closer to her, she turns and can see that the woman's eyes are full of concern and worry. Instinctively, she reaches over and grabs ahold of Emma's hand giving it a squeeze. "Silas lied to me about the meeting we were supposed to have tonight. What he really wanted was for the two of us to have dinner together for my birthday."

Emma tenses at Regina's words. "Like a romantic dinner?" She manages to say hoping to keep her tone as even as possible.

"Yes. I suppose so. He sent flowers to the office for me today. Two dozen red roses." Regina laughs at how absurd it sounds, even to her. "There was no name on the card and I honestly thought they were from you at the time." She feels her face warm a bit at the admission.

Emma frowns. She had planned to send flowers to Regina's office for her birthday, but decided against it at the very last minute. Somehow she thought that giving them to her when she picked her up for dinner would be far more romantic. Now she wishes that she would have just sent them. "Wow." Emma says, unsure of how she should be reacting to it.

"It was a bit much." Regina says as she shakes her head. "I should have probably realized that they were from him. It's so very much like him to send something so embarrassingly extravagant." She sighs as she leans forward and grabs her wine glass. She takes a large gulp before putting it back down, leaning back against the couch again, and putting her arm over her face, covering her eyes.

Emma is still unsure of what to say. She has not been able to entirely gauge how Regina is feeling about the flowers or the dinner. She was obviously upset just a moment ago and now, she just seems very confused and completely lost in thought.

"He told me that he loves me." Regina says after another long moment of silence. She can hear Emma taking slow breaths but does not turn towards the her. "God, he's just so infuriating!" She exclaims loudly as she feels angry tears start to sting her eyes. She finally pulls her arm away from her face and turns towards Emma. "I waited so long for him! And it was never the right time!" She is crying now, her voice getting hoarse and though she tries to hold them back, hot tears are rolling down her cheeks. "But in reality, it was just never the right time for him. And now, when it seems to be the most convenient for him, he misses me, and he wants to wake up next to me, and he wants to spend weekends with me? He broke me so badly, and if he thinks that he can buy me roses and dinner, and I'm just going to run into his arms again? Like I always did before? He's delusional."

Emma frowns as she watches Regina slowly falls apart before her eyes. The same woman who told her the very first day they met that she did not know how to love very well. "Hey…Shhh." She says as she pulls Regina into her, letting the woman cry into the crook of her neck. She rubs Regina's back slowly until her breathing evens out again. When she knows that Regina has stopped crying she finds her words. "I guess the man isn't that big of an idiot after all. I mean, he's still technically an idiot because it surely took him long enough to realize how great you are…"

Regina pulls away from Emma's hold on her and scoffs. "You're only saying that because I'm a complete mess right now." She says as she takes another deep breath so that she can calm herself.

"I'm saying it because it's the truth." Emma says softly. "On both accounts. Silas is an idiot. And you are amazing."

Regina blinks away the remaining wetness in her eyes and manages to roll her eyes at Emma's comment. Then she lays her head onto Emma's shoulder which is welcomed as she wraps an arm around her. "I won't argue the part about him being an idiot. Sometimes I wonder what I even see in him."

The present tense of Regina's statement surprises Emma. "Do you...still love him?" She asks hesitantly.

Regina sighs. "In truth, I don't know." She shifts her position in Emma's arm so that she can look up at her. "I hated him so much. But how could I possibly feel so much hate if I didn't still love him in some way? Didn't you ever feel this way about Julia?"

Emma thinks about it for a moment but ultimately shakes her head. "No, I never hated her. I loved her fiercely, though. And like I've said before, I'll always love her. Just not in the same way you love Silas, I guess." She says with a shrug as her heart tightens at the thought of Regina running back into Silas' arms after tonight. Regina hums but Emma can tell that she is probably still contemplating her feelings. "I'll tell you what, why don't we put on a movie or some music. It may help to take your mind off of everything."

"A movie sounds alright." Regina says absentmindedly.

Emma reaches over to the coffee table and grabs the remote control. She turns on the television and then sits back again flipping through the channels until she sees something familiar. "Oh, this will be perfect! If this movie doesn't cheer you up, I'm not sure that anything will."

Regina frowns. "I don't think that I know what this is." She says as she furrows her brows at the screen, realizing that she does not recognize the scene at all.

"What?! You've never seen Space Balls? We definitely have to fix that." Emma turns the volume up a little bit more before putting the remote control back on the coffee table. Then she pulls her legs up onto the couch, making herself more comfortable. She looks over at Regina again to see the woman staring at the television with a blank look upon her face and she frowns. "Hey, we don't have to watch a movie if you don't want to. I can just go and let you be alone."

Regina turns towards Emma and reaches out for her. "No. Please stay. I don't want to be alone." She pleads.

Emma nods and turns her attention back to the movie. They watch in silence for a few minutes before Emma feels Regina's body up against hers. Without thinking about it, she wraps her arm around Regina pulling her in closer. When Regina lays her head upon Emma's shoulder, Emma leans in as well, and as much as she wants to concentrate on the movie, all she can really think about is the woman she is holding.

Emma eventually nods off and when she wakes again, the movie is in its last scene. She leans to see that Regina has fallen asleep as well. Without another second's thought, she places a kiss on Regina's head, the smell of shampoo mixed with hints of perfume filling her senses. "Happy birthday, Regina." She whispers. Then she nudges the brunette softly and waits until she slowly opens her eyes. "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. I think it's time for bed. C'mon, let me help you to the bedroom." Emma says as she stands up and reaches out her hand for Regina to take.

Regina rubs at her eyes and then stretches as she yawns. Then she gets up off of the couch without a word and grabs onto Emma's hand as she lets the other woman walk her into the bedroom. Once they are there, she begins to remove the slacks and button-up that she still has on from earlier in the day, and quickly changes into something to wear to bed.

Emma looks away to give Regina some privacy as she waits for her to finish getting herself ready for bed. Regina is finishes quickly and walks back into the bedroom in a silk negligee and her face void of her smeared makeup from earlier. Emma smiles as she helps Regina into bed.

Regina is so tired she barely registers what Emma is doing until she feels the other woman's lips on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Regina." Emma says in a hushed whisper. "Sweet dreams."

Regina opens her eyes whens she hears Emma and blinks away the sleep. She reaches out before Emma can walk away and finds Emma's arm. "Will you stay?" Regina asks. "It's late and I would feel much better if you slept here...with me."

Emma frowns but agrees and then walks over to turn out the light. She pulls off her jeans and unbuttons her the flannel shirt she has on. Then she removes her bra from underneath her tank top as well before placing everything in the same armchair that always seems to be holding her garments the few other times that she has stayed over. She crawls into bed next to Regina, lays down on her back staring up at the ceiling, and all she can think about is how not one thing this evening went according to her plans or expectations.  _Strike two,_ she thinks. Suddenly, Regina's voice breaks her from her reverie.

"Thank you for coming over tonight, Emma. You have no idea how much this means to me." Regina says softly.

"Of course." Emma replies. "You should get some sleep. You have that big meeting tomorrow."

Regina nods and reaches over for Emma from beneath the sheets. When she finds her arm, she turns her body pulling Emma with her so that she can wrap it around herself from behind. She brings Emma's hand to her chest and holds it there.

Emma pulls Regina into her chest and holds onto her tightly. She does not want to think about what is going to happen between Regina and Silas tomorrow, nor does she want to think about what would become of their relationship if the pair were to rekindle a romantic relationship. She places a light kiss on Regina's bare shoulder and tries to push away all of those thoughts. It takes her an awfully long time, but she eventually falls into a restless sleep.

* * *

 

When Regina's alarm rings the next morning, she groans as she reaches to turn it off. She realizes quickly that she is in bed alone. She gets up and walks into the main part of her apartment to find Emma rummaging quietly through the cabinets in the kitchen. "Emma?"

"Oh, hey! You're up. I didn't know what time you had to be up and I wanted to make you some coffee." Emma says, probably a bit too cheerful.

Regina can see that Emma looks very tired. Her hair is tied up in a messy bun and her eyes a bit swollen. She walks over and stops Emma from opening another one of the many cabinet doors before walking straight over to the one designated as the pantry and pulling out the coffee and the coffee filters, handing them both to Emma.

Emma smiles gratefully and starts filling the carafe with water silently. She can feel Regina watching her but does not dare to look up, afraid that if she does, that she will not be able to hide the dread that she is feeling.

Regina leans back on the counter as she watches Emma finish setting up the coffee maker. When she is done, she puts everything back into the space that she saw Regina remove it from. "How did you sleep?" Regina finally asks.

"I slept okay." Emma lies. In truth, she slept horribly. Every time she could close her eyes for more than a few minutes, she would be at the New Year's Eve ball with Regina again, only this time, Regina was dancing with Silas. "Did you sleep good?" She asks without ever looking up at Regina.

"Yes. I think so." Regina says as she watches Emma nervously playing with her hands. She frowns. "Emma, are you upset with me?"

Emma looks up at Regina in surprise. "No! Of course not. Why would I be upset with you?"

Regina shakes her head. "I don't know. I just feel like I've disappointed you in some way. I made you think that we were going to have a nice evening together and that didn't exactly happen. I feel so horrible about it."

Emma frowns. "Any time I spend with you is a nice time. I promise. We could be out shoveling manure in a field of cattle and I would enjoy it."

Regina scrunches her face and chuckles. "I certainly would not enjoy that."

Emma smiles for the first time since yesterday evening. "In all seriousness, all I want is for you to be happy. That's the only thing that's important. Are you feeling any better about everything?"

Regina nods. "Yes. I am. You know, I've never cried like that about Silas before. When I ended things with him, I knew that I had to, so I did. Then I spent all of the following year completely immersing myself in my work. I really thought that entire time that I was over him."

Emma nods as Regina's words hit her. "So, you're going to try to work things out this time around?" She asks but already feels that she knows the answer.

Regina laughs. "Oh god, no. He had his chance. And after last night, I can say without a doubt that I am over Silas Montgomery."

Emma's eyes widen in surprise. "But, I thought… You said you hated him and that you weren't sure if you still loved him."

Regina sighs and leans back onto the counter. "You know, I've waited for a very long time to hear him tell me that he loves me, and I always thought that when I heard it, it would make me fall for him all over again. But, that's not how I feel at all right now. Instead, I feel like I'm on the last page of that story, and now I can finally move on. Does that sound crazy?"

Emma shakes her head. "No. That doesn't sound crazy at all. I felt that too, in New York, when I saw Jules." Emma smiles and she sticks both hands in her pockets, and shrugging her shoulders awkwardly.

Regina takes a deep breath and smiles softly at the woman in front of her. "I know that I thanked you already, but thank you again for coming over last night. And for staying with me. It was nice to have someone here to be my sounding board. It was especially nice that it was you. I'm truly grateful, Emma."

"I was happy to be here for you. You don't have to keep thanking me for. And you won't be thanking me when you are late for that board meeting because we've spent all morning talking. You should go get ready. I'm gonna have a cup of coffee and then I'll just let myself out." Emma says with a nod.

Regina groans as she looks at the time that is displayed on her stove. "You're right. I have to get ready. Will you let me make it up to you with dinner this weekend?"

Emma smiles. "Are you cooking? Because you know that after that lasagna I had last time, I'm never going to turn down a meal from you, ever."

"I'll cook if that's what you want." Regina says as she returns Emma's smile.

"Alright. Deal."

Regina leans in and kisses Emma on the cheek. "I'll call you tonight and we can make plans. I'm going to jump in the shower." She waits for confirmation from Emma before she turns and walks back towards the bedroom.

Emma smiles with relief as she watches Regina walk away, suddenly all of her weariness and exhaustion slowing melting away.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: I don't think that I've talked about this before, but I love writing scenes that have Regina and Zelena because I can relate to them very easily. My younger sister is my best friend. She's the one that told me that I was gay before I even realized it and since that day (a long time ago), she has always been my biggest fan and my greatest support system. With that said, she has watched me do some stupid things over the years and she's always, and I do mean ALWAYS, had something to say about the girls I dated OR when I was just being an idiot. Of course, I do that for her also because that's kinda what sisters do. So...Zelena knows what's up. and Regina is being a pain in the ass about it, but soon enough, it will all come crashing down on her... This one is a bit longer than most of my other chapters so there's a lot of things going on. It was necessary because I have to start wrapping things up. Let me know what you think even if you hate it! Enjoy--update you again next week.***

"Regina, your presentation was very good. It is apparent to me that a lot of time and thought was needed in putting all of that together, and the Seattle branch is very lucky to have you overseeing the operations."

"Jim, that's very kind of you to say, but I cannot and will not take all the credit. I think that I am the lucky one, here, because I have a great team of people that work very hard on a regular basis to give us these numbers." Regina says with a confident smile. "I would not be in this position without this team and their unwavering support." From the corner of her eye, she can see Silas slowly putting his things away, clearly stalling for time alone with her.

"Nonetheless, I very much look forward to our next meeting. I'm sure that the numbers next quarter will be equally if not more impressive than they were today." Jim reaches out his hand and Regina takes it graciously, giving it a firm and steady shake.

"Thank you, Sir." Regina says. Jim nods, says his goodbyes to both her and the President, and she watches as he walks out of the conference room, leaving her alone with Silas. Regina wordlessly stacks together all of her notes and reports, trying to organize everything as quickly as she can, but does not get the chance to finish before she can feel Silas's presence right beside her. She groans internally.

"Regina, can we please talk?" Silas asks softly and sincerely. He feels horrible for cornering Regina last night and after she stormed off, he spent the rest of the evening dreading his decision to lie about dinner in the first place.

"There's nothing for us to talk about, and most certainly not here at the office." Regina says, not once looking up from her paperwork.

"Regina, please. Just hear me out. I really want to apologize to you for what I did last night." Silas pleads again.

Regina finally sighs and looks up at him. She notices right away that he looks pretty miserable and that somehow gives her a little bit of pleasure. "Look, Sy, let's just forget about last night. The fact is, we aren't the same people we were a year ago. You can't just walk away from something and expect that you can come back to it when it's convenient for you. People change. I've changed."

Silas smiles at Regina's use of the nickname. "I know that. I am not asking that you and I just pick it up and be what were were a year ago. And that's the whole point. I want it to be different this time around, and I want to be better for you."

"But, it's not that simple! A year ago, I wanted a relationship with you, and I wanted to settle down. I don't want those things anymore. In truth, I love where I'm at right now, and I never thought that I'd be standing here telling you that." Regina says as she smiles genuinely at Silas. "I'm sorry, Sy. A relationship is just not what I want."

Silas nods and smiles sadly. "Regina, I hope you know that while I respect that, I'm not going to give up on this. I want you, and I'm going to prove that to you, no matter how long it takes me. My biggest regret was letting you go, and I will not make the same mistake again."

Regina just shakes her head as she reaches over and gives his arm a gentle squeeze. "Have a safe flight home, okay?" She says as she picks up all of her things and walks out of the conference room towards her office on the same floor. She wishes that she can stop thinking about how Silas always says the right things, so she tries to push the thoughts of him away completely. When she gets back to the area where her office is located, she is met with the grinning face of her assistant.

"Hey boss! How did the meeting go?" Jordan asks excitedly.

She cannot help but smile back. "Very well, actually. All of those charts and reports you put together really saved my ass. Thank you, and I think that I owe you a drink." Regina says gratefully.

Jordan scoffs. "Whatever. All the data collection was your hard work. Putting tables and stuff together with the data in front of me is easy-peasy. I'm just glad that it worked out. It's so super scary seeing all those men in expensive suits crowded around you in there. You're such a badass. Was it as scary as it looked being the only woman?"

Regina smiles. "It's always a little bit intimidating, yes, but I'm used to it. So, was there anything urgent that came up that needs my immediate attention? If not, I would like to take my lunch out of this office today to get some air."

Jordan thinks for a moment and then shakes her head. "No, nothing urgent. But your sister called a few times. She sounded upset that you never called her back yesterday."

Regina quickly realizes that because of the bogus dinner meeting and Silas's confession yesterday, not only did she not call Zelena back, she has not called her parents either to thank them for their birthday wishes. She sighs. "I do need to call her back. I had such a long night, it completely slipped my mind."

Jordan's smile grows wider with amusement. "Ah, a long night, eh? Was it the mystery person who sent the roses?"

"No, but I had that dinner meeting last night, remember?" There is really no point in telling Jordan about Silas sending the flowers, nor does she feel like explaining their current situation further, so she goes with the story that will keep Jordan from pushing for more details. "I just got home a lot later than I would've liked and I was exhausted." That seemed to have worked because Jordan just nods in response.

"Well, if you want to go take lunch, I'll stick around here and just call something to be delivered for myself."

"Are you sure that's alright?" Regina asks.

Jordan chuckles. "Yes. And I still find it so funny that you're always trying to change around your schedule to accommodate me. I'm your personal assistant. It's my job to make things easy for you! Now, go!"

Regina laughs. "Alright! Let me put this stuff down and grab my purse. You're so bossy!" She says with a wink which earns her an eye roll from the younger woman. When she leaves her office again, Jordan is on the phone so she walks up closer and speaks softly so that she does not interrupt Jordan and the caller. "I'll call on my way back to see if you want a coffee or something? I think I will need one."

Jordan nods frantically and gives Regina a thumbs up and when her boss turns away, she watches as she walks towards the elevators.

 

* * *

 

"So, let me get this straight…" Zelena tries to clarify for she is very perplexed as to why Regina does not seem to be angry at all considering everything she has just heard about Silas.

Regina sighs. "Zee, it's not what you're thinking." As much as she wanted to keep this whole thing under wraps, she could not bring herself to keep it from her best friend, even if she knows already that Zelena has it in for Silas.

"Now, wait a minute. Don't assume that you already know what I'm going to say." Zelena says as calmly as she can but in her very best 'big sister' tone of voice.

Regina rolls her eyes. "I think that it's perfectly normal for me to make an assumption based on the facts, Sis, and the fact is, you despise Silas."

"And so what if I do? In all fairness, he hasn't made it very easy for me or the rest of the family to like him. But, I do love you, and I guess that I'm willing to listen if you want to spend the next, oh, however much time you think you will need, to convince me that he's not actually an arrogant and thoughtless egomaniac. Please, go right ahead. I'm all ears, Sis." Zelena tries to hide her shortness and her sarcasm, but is clearly annoyed.

"See, that's not fair." Regina tries to argue, but she also knows that her sister is right.

"Oh my god, you want to take him back, don't you?" Zelena says as it suddenly dawns on her that this may be where their conversation is heading. "Regina, I can't believe this…" Zelena shakes her head and sighs inwardly.

"That's not what's happening here." Regina says after a moment of silence. "I'll have to admit, it was nice to hear him say it. But, I haven't changed my mind about not wanting a relationship. And I swear to you, that's the truth."

Zelena does not want to admit it aloud, but hearing her sister confirm that she would not take Silas back makes the huge knot that had formed in her stomach just a moment ago slowly ease away. She takes a deep breath of relief, but then she frowns. "So, what about Emma, then?"

"What about her? I don't believe Emma has anything to do with any of this." Regina says even though she knows exactly what her sister is thinking about.

"Regina, please. Don't play dumb. My sister is one of the smartest women that I know. Surely you know that Emma has everything to do with what we are talking about." Zelena says hoping it will push Regina to talk.

Regina sighs. "We've already talked about this. A few times, if I remember correctly. There's nothing going on between Emma and I."

Zelena chuckles. "Right. Nothing at all, except for all that really hot sex."

"And that's nothing that her and I don't already have a mutual understanding about. And neither one of us are wanting it to be more than that."

"So, did you tell Emma about Silas?" Zelena wonders aloud.

"Yes. She came over last night. And, yes, she stayed over, but no, we didn't have sex. I was tired and in a horrible mood." Regina says as she tries to quash as many of her sister's suspicions as possible.

"That poor girl." Zelena says half-jokingly. "You're really putting her through the wringer and she's being such a good sport about it. But yet, you still don't believe that she wants you as more than just a fuck buddy."

"Zee. Seriously? I have been nothing but honest and upfront with her. Emma knows that I enjoy spending time with her and I've told her that I consider her someone that I can really trust and open up to. I mean, sure, I care a lot about her. And yes, sometimes that scares me a little bit, but I can separate that from the sex, believe me." Regina says in a huff.

Zelena sighs. "You idiot! I'm not worried about whether or not you can separate the two. You know what your problem is? I think that most of the time, you're way too logical for your own good, and you forget that love is an actual emotion. How is it that you can take everything that Silas said to you in the last twenty-four hours and use that as reason to forgive all that he's put you through but yet, this girl, who has spent the last five weeks doing everything in her power to make you happy, is just someone that you feel you have to keep at arm's length? I don't get it."

"I never said I was going to forgive Silas for everything he put me through. I'm just done with being angry about it. As for Emma, she's a nice girl. I've learned that she goes out of her way to make a lot of people happy because that is who she is. I admire that about her. But, I honestly don't believe that her affections for me go beyond what her and I have already agreed upon."

"Alright, well, whatever. I'm not going to spend my entire, baby-free, afternoon arguing with you about something that you refuse to see." Zelena says, finally relenting.

Regina shakes her head and wants to argue, but she can see also that they are not going to agree. "I'm fine. Everything is fine. I promise, okay?"

Zelena chuckles but is serious again almost immediately. "You have told me that everything is fine. And I do believe you most of the time, but what I really hate is that we're basically a whole country apart from each other, so when you're not fine, I can't be there for you. If I were still living in Seattle, the second that I hear about Silas trying to pull that shit, he would get an earful from me. And of all the days, he chooses your birthday to make it all about him and what he wants? He's such a prick."

"I know. But he's such a good looking one." Regina says playfully already knowing how her sister will respond.

Zelena groans in disgust. "I swear-"

Regina laughs. "Zee, I'm kidding!" Then she changes the subject. "Thank you for the gift, by the way. I haven't listened to it yet, obviously, but I should have time to this weekend."

Zelena smiles. It has been a tradition ever since they were little girls to make a mixed tape for each other on their birthdays. Even though this is not the only thing they gift to each other, it is usually the one they each look forward to the most. "This one is probably my best one yet. And there's a theme! You have to tell me if you figure it out. Anyway, you don't have big birthday plans this weekend?"

"Not really. I may have Emma over for dinner tomorrow night, but we haven't made any definite plans yet."

"Oh? Dinner, huh? And Dessert? Perhaps a belated birthday present for yourself?" Zelena says with a huge grin on her face.

Regina laughs. "Dinner, Zee, you're horrible. Anyway, I have to go. I told Jordan that I would stop and grab us coffee on my way back into the office and I've been gone over an hour already. Can I call you back tonight? I want to talk to Mom and Dad too."

"Fine. Go back to work. But, don't call too late tonight! Because of Reese, none of us have been getting enough sleep."

"Of course. I'll call as soon as I get home. Oh, and Zee, thank you. I love you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you." Regina says sincerely.

Zelena smiles wishing once again that she was there with Regina because this seems to be one of those moments that calls for a hug. "I love you, too, pretty girl. I'll talk to you later."

 

* * *

 

"Emma, I do own a dishwasher for a reason. You don't always have do the dishes when you come over for dinner, let alone wash them all by hand." Regina says as she leans back against the counter and takes a sip from her glass of wine.

Emma laughs. "You did the hardest part already by cooking for me. The least I can do is clean up after myself. And in my house, we never really used a dishwasher when I was growing up. I'm not sure why, because we had one, but maybe it was because it was always just the three of us, and we didn't have a ton of things to clean. Also, I actually like to do the dishes. It was probably my favorite chore. Laundry on the other hand, don't even get me started."

Regina chuckles. "Noted. But it's a bit funny because I love doing laundry. I do all of my washing, folding, and ironing on Sundays. It is quite therapeutic for me." She adds with a smile.

"Wow. I mean...just wow." Emma frowns and just looks away as she shakes her head, feigning deep disappointment.

"Why wow? What's wrong?" Regina asks, not sure how to interpret Emma's reaction, but is slightly worried nonetheless.

"Well, you have to give me a minute to digest this new information. Up until just now, there was absolutely not one thing that I could find that was wrong with you. And now, you're telling me that one, you enjoy doing the laundry, and two, you wash and fold everything in the same day? And you iron? Who does that? I don't even know who you are anymore." Emma says as seriously as she can until Regina cracks a smile which causes her to start laughing.

Regina reaches over and pinches Emma in her side. "You're impossible!"

Emma who is still laughing rubs at the spot where that Regina pinched. "Ouch, woman! Really though, I lied, that whole thing actually makes you even more perfect. And honestly, all I've ever wanted is to find a girl that would do my laundry for me." The second that it leaves her mouth, Emma immediately realizes that she has overspoken. She tries to save both of them the awkwardness by quickly changing the subject but can already feel her face start to get warm from embarrassment. "So, now that dishes are all done, you want me out of here? That way you can enjoy the rest of your Saturday night."

Regina did not miss Emma's statement, or the awkward subject makes her think about her conversation with Zelena but does not want to read too much into it. "I was thinking that we could have another glass of wine, but I understand if you don't have time for a nightcap."

"Oh! I don't have anything else going on. I just know that you had a long week and I wanted to give you time to yourself if that's what you wanted." Emma says with a nod. "But, I would love another glass of wine."

Regina opens another bottle as Emma watches her and once she has filled their two glasses, they walk into the main room and sit down on the sofa. Regina takes a drink from her glass, but her eyes are on Emma the entire time. The very first time she saw Emma, she thought right away that the blonde was beautiful. She was timid and shy but her piercing green eyes somehow made it so difficult for Regina to look away from them. That day seems like it was so long ago. After getting to know Emma, she is even more beautiful than before, but that is now based on so many other factors. As she continues to look at the woman sitting across from her, she cannot help the sudden feeling of needing to be close to her.

Emma smiles as she takes a drink as well. She can see Regina studying her and she wonders to herself if it was because of her comment just earlier. Her stomach is suddenly in knots. "So…" She starts but ultimately cannot think of anything to follow with.

Regina smiles and puts her glass down onto the coffee table. Then she takes Emma's glass away from her and does the same as she moves herself closer to her on the sofa. Emma is wearing a white button-up with the two top buttons open and when Emma turns towards her, all she can think about is the exposed skin on her neck and how much she wants to kiss her.

"Hi." Emma says meekly when Regina looks up at her again, meeting her eyes.

"Hi." Regina says, her voice husky and low. "So, there was something that I really wanted to do on Thursday night that I didn't really get the chance to do."

Emma swallows the lump in her throat. "What's that?"

Regina smiles and then slowly leans into Emma placing a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth, barely touching her lips. She pulls away just a tiny bit hoping that Emma will make the next move.

Emma reaches up and touches Regina's face softly. She runs her thumb over her bottom lip which makes Regina eyes flutter shut for a second.  _God, this woman is going to be the death of me._

"Emma, please kiss me." Regina whispers.

That was really all Emma needed to hear before leaning in and capturing Regina's mouth with her own.

Regina grabs ahold of Emma's shirt and is immediately undoing the buttons. She pushes forward with her mouth so that she can crawl into Emma's lap and straddles her. When she finally pulls her mouth away so they can both take a breath, she smiles as she runs her hands over Emma's stomach, feeling the muscles there tighten under her touch. Her mind immediately goes back to her conversation with Zelena once again and she frowns. "Emma…"

Emma frowns also. She wraps her arms around Regina's waist protectively. "What's wrong. Did I do something-"

"No…no. Please don't think that. I was just...I want to make sure that you're still good with this whole thing. I mean, with what is going on between us." Regina says.

"What? Yes, of course. Have I done something to make you think otherwise?" Emma asks.

"No, you haven't. I'm just overthinking it."  _Thanks a lot, Zee._ "I wanted to make sure that we're still on the same page about everything, that's all." Regina says as she looks away from Emma and down at the small space between them.

Emma frowns when she realizes what Regina is really asking about. Even if she ever did gather the courage to tell Regina about how she really feels, she knows that now is not that time. She slowly reaches a hand up between them and lifts Regina's head up by her chin, so that she can see her eyes. "Hey, nothing's changed for me." She hates lying, but decides that it is not entirely a lie. Still with her hand on Regina's chin, she leans in and kisses her sweetly. Regina deepens the kiss forcing her to remove her hand from Regina's face so that she can wrap both arms around her once again.

Regina moans into their kiss and puts both hands on Emma's shoulders holding her down against the sofa. She pulls back only for a few quick seconds so that she can remove her sweater before tossing it to the side and finding Emma's lips again. When she starts grinding her hips into Emma, the younger woman grunts and then immediately pushes herself off of the sofa with one arm while she still has the other around Regina, simultaneously lifting her up as well. Regina yelps in surprise and chuckles as she wraps her legs around Emma's waist so that she does not fall.

"There are so many things that I want to do to you right now and I cannot do them on your couch." Emma says in frustration, but with a playful smile even though there are a million warning bells going off in her head. For a quick distraction from the noise, she reaches down with her free arm and takes Regina's sweater so that she can take it into the bedroom with them.

Regina puts her face into Emma's neck and starts kissing there. She can tell by the sounds that Emma is making that she likes it, which turns her on even more. "Have I told you before how hot I think it is that you can just lift and carry me while we're in the middle of foreplay? It makes me crazy." She says in between kisses into Emma's neck.

Emma laughs before she turns off the lamp that Regina has on the side table, the lights from the city outside illuminating the room in a dusky glow. She smiles and then starts walking towards Regina's bedroom with the topless woman still hanging onto her. "I'm so happy to hear that my upper body strength is so impressive to you. Now, if I can only get you into bed and out of these clothes, I can list out for you all of the things that I find incredibly hot about you."

Regina laughs into Emma's neck and then puts both of her hands behind the blonde's head so that she can pull the woman towards her for another fervent kiss, tangling her hands into Emma's hair.

Regina's kisses and hands in her hair makes Emma's head spin. She thinks that when she wakes in the morning, she will likely feel very guilty for all of this, because she knows that it means so much more to her than it does to Regina. But right now, her mind and her heart just so happens to want the same thing and she refuses to deny herself any of it. She does however, mentally remind herself that she will just have to deal with the consequences as they come. When she has reached her destination, she pushes all of her thoughts aside and just gives the bedroom door a nudge with her foot so that she can step inside.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: You should be happy to know that I'm done writing this story. I have three more chapters after this plus an Epilogue. It's funny because I think it kinda ends like a romantic comedy would. I even have a song that would play at the end if it were a movie. That's just how much of a hopeless romantic I am. Anyway, you're going to hate me for this one because it ends on a complete cliff hanger-much like most of my other chapters though this one is probably going to be more upsetting than the other ones. But I'll make you guys a deal, I won't wait an entire week to update if I can get at least 11 (my lucky number) reviews for the chapter. One thing I've notice about posting a bunch of chapters at once is that I don't get to hear your thoughts on each one and I really appreciate the feedback. So, leave me a note and when I hit 11 reviews, I'll post the next chapter. Enjoy!***

Regina awakens when she feels Emma slowly sliding back into her bed. She blinks sleepily a few times before moving herself closer to Emma, nuzzling into her, and then closing her eyes again. When Emma shifts herself so that she can wrap her arms around her stomach, Regina smiles. "Mmm...this is nice."

Emma agrees, of course, but cannot bring herself to respond. When she woke up a bit ago and looked over to see Regina's peaceful sleeping form, she was hit with a mix of feelings. For one, she felt guilty for telling Regina that she was still alright with their no-strings-attached arrangement when she knows in her heart that she has fallen hard for the other woman. She also knows that she will have to come clean eventually, but she feels torn because telling Regina her true feelings might scare her away completely, and that is not what she wants either. She quietly removed herself from the bed so that she could go into the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face hoping it would wake her up and clear her head. It does not help her at all that the second she is back in bed, she finds herself once again with her arms around Regina, making her feel as though this is where she belongs. "Did you sleep okay?" Emma finally asks.

"Very well." Regina says with a smile as she tilts her head up so that she can see Emma's face. "How about you?"

Emma returns the smile. "No complaints. Although, I could probably stay in this bed all day."

Regina hums. "Well, you're certainly welcome to it, if that's what you want. I don't have any plans to leave here today but I do have some work I have to do. I'll probably just be in my office all day, so you shouldn't have any distractions." She adds with a cheeky grin.

Emma laughs. "Do you ever not have work to do? You make the rest of us regular people seem so lazy. I mean, serious question… " She says as she reaches over to brush the few stray hairs away from Regina's face so that she see both of her beautiful brown eyes. "Do you ever have time for anything else in your life besides your job?"

Regina just shrugs. "I guess that sometimes I do wish I had more time for hobbies, or even going out on dates, which would undoubtedly make my family ecstatic, but those moments are very rare for me. I'd much rather be working, honestly."

"Well, hobbies are nice if they actually help you to unwind. And as far as dating, I think it's probably the worst thing to do if you don't want to add stress."

Regina chuckles. "See? That's what I always try to explain to Zee and my mom. They don't get it. I really don't want the extra stress."

Emma smiles. "Oh, yeah, for sure. Before Julia and I got together, I was on one of those dating sites, Ruby's idea of course, and I am convinced that I've gone out with every crazy woman in this damn city. I was like eight for eight, or something stupid like that. I gave up after that. It was not worth my sanity."

Regina frowns at Emma's comment. She has to admit, hearing Emma confirm last night that they were still on the same page in regards to their current situation was a huge relief. Even though she cannot deny how nice it feels to wake up next to Emma, and a relationship with the blonde is the last thing on her mind right now, she still cannot help feeling a pang of jealousy hearing about Emma's dating life. "You went out with eight different women that you met on the internet?" She asks as she turns her body towards the blonde, and props herself up.

"Hey! Don't knock it, alright? Not everyone on the internet is nuts. I've made some really good friends from all over the world through the internet. As it turns out, it's just the ones in Seattle that have that flair of psycho."

"That's not what I meant. I am just really surprised that none of the dates you went on worked out. How are you so sure it isn't you that's the problem." Regina says as she smirks at Emma playfully.

Emma scoffs. "I know that, because I'm a really good date!"

Regina chuckles. "Well, everyone thinks that they are a good date until they've had one too many drinks and are trying to convince you to take them back to your place, even when you've shown zero interest the entire evening."

Emma laughs. "Okay, first of all, that sounds too real to be made up, so you're going to have to tell me the story behind it. Second, if you don't believe me, you should let me take you out." Emma is hoping that she does not sound as nervous as she is suddenly feeling at the moment.

Regina raises an eyebrow. "Take me out?"

"Yeah…" Emma says more timidly than before, her confidence plummeting. "You know, like on a real date. Valentine's Day is in a couple of weeks. We should go do something...together. You know, for the sake of science."

"For the sake of science?" Regina asks as she laughs nervously. She wonders how serious Emma is with her proposition.

"I mean, like an experiment, to prove that I don't suck at dating." Emma's response is more nonchalant this time but she can feel her heart racing as if it is going to beat out of her chest, and she wonders if Regina can feel it too, since she is still so close to her.

Regina looks into Emma's eyes then, hoping to read what she may be thinking but cannot seem to find any clues to the blonde's intentions. "You want me to go out with you on Valentine's Day just so you can prove to me that you aren't terrible at dating?"

Emma sighs. "Well, when you say it like that, it actually makes me sound like I'm terrible at dating, doesn't it?" She says with a chuckle.

Regina laughs as she leans herself into Emma again and buries her face into the other woman's neck. When she pulls away and looks up at Emma, she smiles. "Your offer is quite intriguing, but we'll have to see what my schedule looks like in the next week or so."

Emma smiles brilliantly. "Okay. If I remember, I'll check back with you closer to the time." She says casually, but she knows that for the next eleven days, she will not be able to think about anything else.

* * *

"Rubes, are you sure this isn't too over-the-top, cheesy? Bringing her flowers on Valentine's Day? I should just call her and ask her…" Emma says.

"It's Valentine's, Em. The whole holiday is over-the-top and cheesy as hell. And you're practically already there, aren't you? Just walk them up to her office and give them to her. You can feel her out when you get there. If her reaction to your flowers is weird or awkward, then you don't have to bring up the date." Ruby reasons while also trying to talk her best friend down from a panic attack.

"UGH. Why is this so hard? I don't usually get this way and I'm freaking myself out over here." Emma says in frustration.

Ruby chuckles. "You have it so bad for this girl, Swan. But it's great, though. Honestly, it's nice to see you all giddy about someone again. You're not as much fun when you're all mopey and throwing pity parties for yourself every other day."

Emma scoffs. "I don't throw myself pity parties. You must be thinking of your other best friend."

"Mhmm. Sure, you don't. Anyway, what kind of flowers did you get? Please tell me that you didn't get roses. Now, that would be extremely cheesy."

"No. I got a mixed bouquet of mostly lilies and daisies. Silas got her roses for her birthday and she said that they were too much…" Emma trails off as she wonders if Regina will even like what she has chosen. She was going to ask her what types of flowers she preferred but could never find a way to squeeze it into their conversations without it sounding too suspicious.

"Hello? Earth to Emma Swan? Emma? EM!" Ruby shouts into her phone.

"Oh, what? Sorry. I was, uh...sorry Rubes. I am so anxious right now, I feel like my head is in a fog."

"Hey, no worries. I get it. Just stop worrying so much. You're a charmer. You've already charmed the pants off of the woman. Literally." Ruby says as she laughs at her own joke. "I doubt you will have a difficult time charming your way into her heart, if you haven't already."

Emma rolls her eyes at Ruby's remark, but then stops before she can reply to look up at the building in front of her. "Hey, I think I'm here." She says as she takes a deep breath. "I have to get off of here so I can find my way to where her office is. I'll call you afterwards? Or I may just stop by the bar. I could probably use a drink either way."

"Okay, babe. I'll be here. Break a leg." Ruby says with a smile.

"Yeah. okay. Bye." Emma says as she ends the call and slides the phone back into her back pocket. She looks at the flowers once again and takes another deep breath as she runs her free hand through her hair. "It's now or never, Swan." She mutters and then walks up to the large glass double doors, pulling on one of them to let herself in.

* * *

Jordan watches from the corner of her eye as Regina walks another vase filled with two dozen blood-red roses into her office with a very smug Silas Montgomery following her. Luckily for her, the floor to ceiling windows surrounding Regina's office makes it very easy to eavesdrop on what unexpectedly seems to be a very animated conversation, and since Regina does not take the time to shut her blinds, Jordan can also everything that is happening.

"Silas, I've told you already, this isn't going to happen. You didn't have to do this." Regina says as she motions her hand towards the roses. "And you most certainly didn't, shouldn't, have flown into town."

"Regina, I told you that I'm not going to give up. I want you back." Silas says.

"Being annoyingly persistent, while not respecting my wishes, is not the way to win me back." Regina says as she squeezes her eyes shut and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Look, thank you for the flowers, but if you're expecting that I go out with you tonight just because you flew into town, you're going to be very disappointed." She adds, looking up at him.

Silas sighs. Then he walks over to Regina and grabs both of her hands holding them in his. "Hey, I'm sorry that I've made you upset. I really wanted to see you. You're all I can think about."

Regina looks up at the man that she once loved, and while she can see that he is being nothing but sincere, she is absolutely certain that she has no desire to try and rekindle what they once had. "Silas, I'm so sorry. I just… this isn't what I want. I don't want to waste anymore of your time or your affection. I think that whatever we had should stay in the past."

Silas frowns but nods slowly. "I really wish that I knew then what I know now because I would have never let you go."

Regina smiles sadly and then leans in and wraps her arms around him in a hug. Part of her wishes that he had not let her walk away the first time, but mostly, she is happy with her decision.

Jordan's eyes go wide as she watches her boss pull Silas in for an embrace. After the more lively parts of their conversation ended and Regina began lowering her voice, Jordan has not been able to catch much of the dialogue. But, seeing Silas take Regina's hands and then Regina wrapping herself around the man makes Jordan a little bit sick to her stomach. It does not occur to her that there is someone standing by her desk until she finally looks away from Regina's closed door. The woman is also looking straight into Regina's office with a look of shock, or maybe disappointment, on her face. "Oh, hello. Can I help you?"

The young woman's voice breaks Emma from her stupor. "Oh…" She says, not entirely sure what it is she should do. Regina obviously has a date for tonight and the longer she stays there, the more stupid she feels. "Um… I'm sorry, I think…"

"Are those flowers for Regina?" Jordan asks brazenly as she watches the confused woman before her. The woman nods a bit awkwardly but does not say anything so she gets up and walks around her desk so that she can take the flowers from her. "I will give them to her for you, unless you want to wait until she is finished with her, um, meeting."

Emma's eyes widen as she shakes her head. "No, no, it's fine. I'll leave them. Thank you. Uh, I have to go." Then she turns quickly and heads back towards the elevators, her lungs suddenly in desperate need of the brisk February air.

Jordan watches the blonde rush into the elevator and furrows her brow in confusion. Just as she turns to go back behind her desk, Silas and Regina are coming out of the office. Silas nods at her and walks towards the elevators as well.

Regina walks up to Jordan. As she and Silas were saying their goodbyes, she swears that she saw Emma standing out by Jordan. When she looked again to confirm, the blonde was gone. "Hey, Jordan, was there… wait, who are those from?" Regina asks pointing to the large bouquet in her assistant's hands.

Jordan smiles. "Oh! It's another gift for you. A courier just delivered them. Or at least I think she was a courier. I couldn't tell. She was acting a little strange. She was staring into the office at you so I thought at first that she knew you, but then she just left these and took off without leaving me her name."

Regina groans. Regina pulls out her phone and scrolls through her pictures until she finds the ones she took at the children's hospital. Then she shows it to Jordan. "Is this her? The woman that dropped the flowers off?"

"Oh yeah, that's her. Wait, so you do know her? I don't understand why she didn't just wait for you." Jordan says with a shrug.

Regina sighs. "I have a pretty good guess." She mutters. "Can you put those in my office and then take the roses into the break room and leave a note for anyone who wants to take them? I have to go do something really quick."

"Yeah, of course. Go. I'll hold down the fort." Jordan says with a nod.

"Thanks!" Regina says as she rushes towards the elevators already dialing Emma's phone number as she walks. It rings a few times and to her relief, Emma answers.

"Hello." Emma says as casual as she can.

"Emma, I saw you at my office earlier. You should have stayed. The flowers are gorgeous. Thank you." Regina says.

"Oh, sorry, I couldn't stay because I promised Ruby that I'd stop by for lunch with her at the bar." Emma lies.

"Oh. Well, can I see you tonight? Can you come over?" Regina asks.

The invitation surprises Emma because she was sure that what she saw in Regina's office earlier was her and Silas reconciling their differences and working towards getting back together. "Tonight? Don't you have Valentine's Day plans already?" She asks.

"I don't, actually. And it's probably way too late to make any dinner reservations. But, I can make us dinner if you would like to come by."

Emma thinks that she should decline but at the same time, she really wants to hear from Regina herself whether or not she and Silas have decided to get back together. "Yeah, okay. I'll stop by. Is six too early for you?"

"No, six is perfect. I think that I'm going to leave the office pretty early today. I'll see you later, then?"

"Yes. I'll see you later." Emma says. When the call ends, she frowns, immediately puts her phone away, and then stuffs both hands in her pockets as she walks the few blocks to the bar where Ruby's waiting for her.

* * *

"So, you've been awfully quiet tonight. Is everything alright?" Regina says as she sits down in armchair opposite of where Emma is seated on the couch. She can tell that Emma has been in a pensive mood all evening.

"Just pretty tired today." Emma says. Truth is, she has been in a terrible mood since the fiasco at Regina's office earlier and not even spending the evening with the woman has been able to lift her spirits. When she was at the bar this afternoon, Ruby had asked her what Regina thought of her birthday gift, and it was not until she asked about it, that Emma realized Regina never said anything to her about it either. She was going to make it a point to ask Regina tonight but when she arrived, she saw the gift, still wrapped, and sitting in the exact spot that Regina left it the night she brought it over. Needless to say, that made her bad mood even worse than it already was. "So, when I was at your office today, I think that I saw Silas there. Did he come into town for another board meeting?" Emma told herself she was not going to ask about the man. Rather, she would wait for Regina to bring him up first, but her irritation has finally gotten the best of her.

Regina sighs. "No, we didn't have any meetings. He flew in so he could bring me flowers and take me out tonight."

"Oh? So, why are you here with me instead of spending the evening with him?" Emma asks bluntly and she is having a very difficult time hiding the bitterness in her tone.

Regina frowns. "Why are you acting so strange tonight? I know that you saw Silas in my office today because my assistant told me she saw you staring into my office the whole few seconds that you were there. So, if you have something to say or ask me, please stop beating around the bush."

Emma frowns as well. "Alright, so, are you and Silas getting back together?"

"No." Regina says quickly and with a stern shake of her head. "And I've told you already that's not what I want."

Emma scoffs and as she shakes her head. "You know what, Regina? I don't even think that you really know what you want."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Regina says defensively.

"The man was the love of your life. He flies into town for your birthday, brings you flowers, and it gets you so worked up, that you forget about everybody else that cares about you. Then he does the same thing for Valentine's Day and I am sure that it makes you feel so conflicted." Emma says, no real malice in her tone. She just feels better getting everything off of her chest.

Emma's remark about forgetting about everyone that cares about her stings, but she pushes it away in anger. "Conflicted? Sure. On my birthday, I was conflicted. I spent three years of my life being that man's dirty little secret when all I ever wanted was for him to tell me that he cared about me. So, yes, when he told me he loved me, there was some conflict there. But, not once did I think about running back into his arms. Dammit, Emma! You, of all people, should know that, because even though we've only known each other a short while, I haven't been able to open up to anyone more than I have with you. I have been nothing but truthful to you. So, I don't know what sparked this sort of reaction from you, or this interrogation, but I don't believe for a fucking second that any of it is warranted. So, please, enlighten me as to why you are really upset right now." Regina says, clearly exasperated.

Emma sighs. "You never opened my birthday gift to you." She says quietly.

"What?" Regina furrows her brow in confusion.

"My birthday gift to you. You never opened it." Emma says again, but it makes her feel petty and childish.

Regina frowns but then turns immediately to where the wrapped gift is leaning against the side table. When she sees there, she tries to explain, though she is not entirely sure that she has anything to say that will not just sound like an excuse. "I-"

"It's fine, Regina. That's not even the most important issue here." Emma says cutting her off.

"I was unaware that there were any issues at all!" Regina says, her frustration with Emma only getting worse.

Emma stands up looking down at Regina who is still sitting across from where she is. She frowns and bites down on her lower lip trying to decide what her next move should be. "This was a bad idea. I shouldn't have come over tonight. I think that I'm going to go." Then she turns and walks towards the front door.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: WOW! You all do not disappoint ever! I woke up this morning to all of your wonderful notes and now, as promised, I'm posting an update. So sorry for that cliffhanger from the last chapter and I'm so sorry to say that this chapter will be equally if not more heartbreaking than the last. From your notes, I know many are expecting that Zelena or maybe Jordan is going to talk some sense into Regina but I think this situation is a bit more severe than that, so I had to bring in a real MVP to help her :) While the ending to this one is not as bad as the last one, if you want me to post the next one before Friday, you know the drill. If I hit 11 reviews, I'll update sooner. So, love it or hate it, tell me about it! But as always, thanks for reading!***

"Emma, wait. Please don't go. I'm sorry I was so short with you." Regina says as she rushes after Emma and reaches out for her. She manages to grab a hold of Emma's forearm and it stops her from walking any further.

Emma turns around, but frowns. She wants to talk herself into staying but she knows that it will only make things even more aggravating for herself. "Regina, I'm sorry. I just can't do this anymore."

Regina furrows her brow in confusion. "I don't understand..."

Emma shakes her head. "No, I guess that you wouldn't. That is why this whole thing, whatever it is that we have going on between us, it needs to end. I can't be here with you. It is killing me. And I've been lying to you, and lying to myself about what I really want."

Regina shakes her head at Emma's words unwilling to concede. She realizes that things have felt different with Emma lately and all she can think about is the conversation she had with her sister just weeks ago, but she refuses to let the other woman walk away. "No. Please just stay here with me tonight. If this is about Silas, we can talk about it."

Emma laughs bitterly but she can feel her heart breaking as she speaks. "This isn't just about Silas, Regina. And even if we do talk out whatever it is that you think is wrong, then what? We'll jump into bed together and then wake up in the morning just so I can continue to pretend that this thing we have going on is just some convenient thing that we do? Because it might be for you, but I don't feel that way!" She closes her eyes to compose herself. "Not anymore."

Regina's eyes widen in surprise at Emma's brazen admission. "So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I cannot stay here with you tonight." Emma frowns. She contemplates her next words very carefully. She needed to tell Regina the truth eventually, but more importantly, she needs to admit it to herself. She just never expected that this was the way it was going to happen. But, her patience and willpower has evidently run out. Emma sighs and smiles sadly. "I cannot stay here because I have fallen in love with you, Regina Mills." She looks into Regina's eyes as she says it and watches as they widen in surprise. "I mean, how could I not? It was bound to happen, right? We met in the strangest, most random way, almost like it could be fate, and I think that we were even friends for a short while-"

"Emma, we are friends!" Regina exclaims. She considers Emma a very good friend. Maybe even more than just a friend at times, but right now, she does not want to think about that because she feels as though the floor is falling away beneath her feet.  _Did Emma just say that she is in love with me?_

Emma chuckles dryly at Regina's comment. "Right. Friends." She sees that Regina wants to argue this but she cuts her off before she can speak. "I know this wasn't supposed to happen and somehow I've screwed everything up. But, I can't keep lying to myself about how I feel. I. Am. In. Love. With. You." Emma reiterates, putting as much emphasis as she can muster into every word. "And god, it feels so good to just say it aloud for once. And you should know that I want you so badly right now. But, I want all of you. I want to wake up with you in your arms in the morning without feeling like I did something wrong. Or that I am not supposed to be there. I have spent so long feeling guilty about so many things. I'm done with feeling that way about how you make me feel."

Regina slowly lets go of Emma's arm but does not pull her gaze away, their eyes still locked to each other. "I… Emma, you know that I don't want a relationship right now. And it has nothing to do with Silas, or you. It's just too much..." She says barely above a whisper, not entirely sure that she is trying to convince Emma of that fact, but really needing to remind herself of why they had this arrangement in the first place.

Emma's only response is to laugh again, mostly at her own foolishness, as tears begin to form in her eyes. "Oh yes, believe me, I know. It isn't like you haven't told me already, multiple times. " She's nodding as she swallows the lump in her throat and tilts her head back hoping to will the unshed tears back into her eyes. When she looks at Regina again, she sees a sad, disheartened look upon her face. "I should go." Emma finally says and does not wait for an answer before she turns again to walk towards the front door. She opens it without once looking back and it is not until she is in the elevator again, that she lets tears blur her vision of the city on the other side of the glass.

Inside the apartment, Regina is sitting on her sofa trying to process everything that Emma has just told her.  _Emma is in love with me. How could I have been so stupid to believe that this thing we were doing could stay casual?_ Emma is the last person in the world that she wants to hurt and yet, that is exactly what just happened.

Tears begin to pool in her eyes and she blinks them away. She turns towards the end table again where Emma's gift is still sitting and she walks over to it, picking it up. She takes it back to the sofa and starts to unwrap it. She sees right away that it is a large picture frame with a birthday card taped to the front of it hiding the face of whomever is in the photograph. She pulls the card off slowly hoping not to leave any of the sticky residue from the tape on the glass and she gasps at the photograph when she sees it. It is a black and white photo, taken by Emma herself, of Zelena with Reese in her arms. Her sister is looking down at her baby boy with the most beautiful expression of love on her face. In the background are the blurred bodies of what she can make out to be herself and the rest of the family standing around the two.

Regina blinks again as more tears are building and she moves to put the large frame down onto the ground so that she can open Emma's card. The card itself is very plain with a quick pen sketch of a birthday cake with candles on the front. Another Emma Swan original, Regina thinks. She opens the card to see that it is it has a very beautifully handwritten message.

_Regina-My first choice of a gift for you was a music box. But, I haven't really had enough time to sneak into your study to check out all of the ones you already have in your collection, and I didn't want to risk getting you a duplicate, so I went with what I'm good at. I took this picture the second night Reese was home and I remember thinking how happy Zelena looked in it. I also remember how happy you were to be able to be there with her. I thought that you could put it up somewhere to make your place more "you"._ _I don't think that I ever really thanked you for allowing me to be apart of something so important to you._ _It really meant so much to me._ _Happy birthday, Regina. I wish you so much love and all the happiness, not just this coming year, but always. Love, Emma_

_Love, Emma._ Regina reads again. Her heart suddenly clenching, she tosses the card aside and quickly makes her way into her office where she has her phone sitting on the desk. She scrolls and finds Emma's name right away. It rings with no answer until Emma's voice comes on the other end asking her to leave a message, so she hangs up and tries again. The same thing happens again, and she tries a third time. She tells herself that she will just leave a voice message if Emma does not pick up. It does not ring at all this time and the call goes directly to Emma's message. Regina sighs knowing this means that Emma has turned off her phone. She waits for the beep. "Emma, I opened my birthday gift and I love it. It's the most thoughtful thing that anyone has ever gotten for me, and I…" She stutters a bit swallowing the lump she has in her throat. "I really want to talk to you. Will you please just call me back? I don't care how late, I'll wait up. Just, please call me, okay?"

Regina shuts her eyes tightly and takes a deep breath. She thinks that the chances that Emma will call her back are slim, and that makes her even more angry at herself than she was before. Angry that she missed all of the signs, angry she had forgotten about the gift that has been sitting in her living room for the last two weeks, but most of all, she is angry that she could not convince herself to stop Emma from leaving, so she sits down in her reading chair, feeling completely defeated.

Regina always knows exactly what she wants. She knew she wanted the position as the CEO of the Mavis Financial after the first three months of becoming a senior financial consultant with the firm. She knew she wanted Silas the moment she laid eyes on him, just as she knew that she wanted to be free of him earlier today when he made the surprise appearance in her office. She knew that she wanted to see Emma again after they spent the morning chatting on their flight back to Seattle on Christmas morning, and on New Year's Eve, she knew the moment she saw Emma in her tux and black pumps, that she wanted the blonde to be her kiss at midnight.

Regina admits that Emma has made her feel things that she swore she would never feel again, and a large part of the reason that she has been insisting that they keep things casual, is selfishly so that she can keep her guard up and not get hurt again. She wants to believe that she wanted that for Emma as well. The way Emma described her relationship with Julia and how much she was hurting when it all ended was a feeling that she, herself, could definitely relate to. The thought that Emma could be feeling so heartbroken again, but this time because of her, is difficult for her to bear. She wishes that she knew how to fix it, but in all honesty, she is not sure what she should do. Until she can figure out what she really feels for Emma, and what she wants, she will only make things worse for both of them. And this is exactly why she had sworn off relationships in the first place.  _Why does everything have to be so complicated?_

Regina goes behind her desk and sits down. She turns on her computer, and waits for it to boot up. When it does, she writes and sends an email to Jordan letting her know that she is going to take the rest of the week and possibly the following week off. She leaves detailed instructions a few things that need to be completed before her return, but she also makes sure to let her assistant know that once she is finished with her expected duties each day that there is no need for her to stay in the office, and that she would adjust her time card at the end of the week accordingly. Once that email is sent, she sends another to Silas and the rest of the staff informing them of her time off and that Jordan can help them with anything they might need in her absence.

Regina sends a text message to Jordan as well and gets a concerned response in return. Once she has assured the younger woman that everything is alright and that there is nothing for her to worry about, she opens her internet browser so that she can purchase a plane ticket to New York.

* * *

"Hey." Zelena says as she crawls into bed next to her baby sister. "Mom and Dad are a little worried about you. I mean, I'm starting to get a little concerned also, honestly…"

Regina turns her attention away from the television. "What? Why? I'm fine, Zee." She says as she turns away once again.

Zelena studies her for a second and then crawls over Regina to grab the remote control that is on the nightstand. She turns off the television and this elicits a very irritated groan from the woman beneath her.

"I was watching that!" Regina complains as she tries to take the remote away from Zelena.

"That's precisely the point! Since when do you watch TV? And a better question, since when do you take a random week off just to come to my house to watch TV? Gina, what's going on?" When Regina showed up at her door a few days before, everyone was pleasantly surprised. But right away she noticed that her sister's mood was melancholy and downhearted. She waited a day or two and when she did not see a change, she finally decided to ask her about it.

Regina looks over at her sister, she blinks a few times, and eventually comes to the conclusion that she has run away to New York because she really needs the comfort and warmth of her family. She was just not sure until this very moment that she was ready to talk about what has happened between her and Emma. "Emma told me on Valentine's Day that she is in love with me." She finally says.

Zelena is shocked. Even though she has suspected that the blonde had stronger feelings towards her sister than Regina cared to believe, she had not expected that she would be so honest and so soon. "Oh." She says but is really at a lack for words.

"Oh?" Regina wonders. "I thought for sure you'd tell me that you told me so." She says as she looks away from Zelena.

"You know that I hate to gloat." Zelena says softly as she puts her hand on top of Regina's feeling too sad for her to even tease her.

Regina scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Right."

Zelena frowns. "So, I take it you turned her away when she told you that."

"What else was I supposed to do? I don't want a relationship, Zee." Regina says in a frustrated tone.

Zelena groans. "But, why not? I just don't get you sometimes. What is it about a relationship that is so unappealing to you?"

"It's not unappealing. I just don't have time for one." Regina reasons.

"Bullshit! You tell yourself that you don't have time for one." Zelena says. She is done reasoning with her stubborn sister. "Is it because Emma just isn't as great as Silas was?"

"What? No! Silas has nothing to do with this!" Regina argues.

"Oh, the hell he doesn't! You're just too stubborn to admit that you're not over his lame, arrogant ass." Zelena says as her voice is gradually getting louder.

"You know what? Get out and just leave me alone." Regina says as she turns her body away from Zelena so that her back is towards her. "You're not helping."

"This is my house and I'll be damned if I let you tell me I need to get out of my own guest room. Gina, I love you, but I will never understand why you let one failed attempt at a relationship turn you off from anything good that comes your way." Zelena says.

Regina does not respond because she knows that once her sister starts getting this way, there is no talking her down. Plus, she would hate to have to admit her sister is right, at least with her last remark.

Henry has been bothered as well by Regina's sudden appearance in New York because he knows how out of character it is for his younger daughter to drop all of her work and just show up at Zelena's front door. After he and Cora are able to get Reese to sleep, he decides to go check on Regina only to hear his two daughters arguing from outside of the guest room. He knocks lightly before letting himself in. "You two alright in here? I heard raised voices." He asks.

Regina turns herself over at her father's voice. "Hey Daddy, we're fine." She says, hoping it is enough to appease him.

"Zelena, why don't you go help your mom put Reese to bed. We were finally able to get him to fall asleep." Henry says.

Zelena knows better than to argue with their father so she just gets off of the bed silently and leaves the room.

When her father eventually takes a seat on the bed next to her, Regina frowns and sits up against the headboard. It does not matter how old she gets, when her dad is in the same room with her, she almost always feels so much more at ease.

"Will you tell me what's been bothering you, babygirl?" Henry asks sincerely.

"Daddy, it's nothing you have to worry about, I promise." Regina says with a weak smile.

"Regina, ever since you were a little girl, you have never been able to keep anything from your mother and I. Zelena, on the other hand, is a whole other story, but you, we always know when there is something bothering you." Henry says, returning Regina's smile and taking her hand. "Please tell me what's wrong. I may not be able to solve all your problems, but you've always said that your old man is a good listener. "

Regina is silent for a moment but she knows better than to try to lie to her father again. She sighs. "I don't actually know what's wrong." She tells him honestly.

"Well, that is quite the dilemma then." Henry says. "Your sister told me about Silas confessing his feelings for you. Would this have something to do with that?"

Regina groans. "Zelena has the biggest mouth…"

"You know, Darling, we don't like the man, but we don't know him like you do. If you choose to give him another chance, that's your decision and no one else's. The only thing that is important to me is your happiness because I love you."

Regina smiles. "I love you, too, Daddy. But, this isn't about Silas. Not really."

"Well, now I'm thoroughly confused." Henry says with a chuckle.

"I already told Silas that there is no hope of us getting back together." Regina says.

Henry nods patiently waiting Regina to continue.

"But that same night, Emma also told me that she is in love with me..." Regina finally adds.

Henry smiles. "And you're surprised?"

Regina looks at her father and furrows her brow at his question. "I...I suppose I am, yes, because Emma knows that I was not looking to be in a relationship."

"Oh, my darling girl... What makes you believe that just because she knows what it is you want or don't want, that it would possibly change the way she feels about you?"

Regina thinks about this for a moment. "I guess I just thought that she was more sensible than that."

"So, I assume that is what you told Emma, then?" Henry asks.

"Yes, more or less." Regina says with a small nod.

"What's got you so down, then? You should be relieved that you were open and honest with her. She deserves that."

"I…I don't really know." Regina admits again.

"I think that you do. Remember when you brought Emma around the first time? And I told you that she seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders?"

Regina nods as she recalls that conversation she had with her father in the kitchen. "She does. I mean, she's really great. She's beautiful, and smart…"

Henry just hums and nods, again silently urging his daughter to talk through her own internal turmoil.

"She's amazing, actually. And I think that I knew the second that she walked away from me that night, that I may have made a mistake." Regina says sadly. "Daddy…" She sighs. "I think that I love Emma, too."

"Well, that wasn't like pulling teeth at all." Henry grins.

"You knew." Regina states with a sad smile.

"Regina, you have always been such a strong but stubborn woman, and I have learned over the years that it is much better to just sit back and allow you to figure these things out on your own than to try to convince you of something that has yet to become clear to you." Henry says with a squeeze of her hand.

Regina smiles at Henry fondly because she knows that he is right. "I'm just really bad at the whole relationship thing. And I don't want to get hurt again. Or worse, what if I hurt Emma?"

"I never understood why you think that you're bad at relationships, but that seems to be a whole other conversation. What I do know is, if you care for Emma, and love her, you owe it to yourself to at least try to make something work with her. I think that she seems patient enough to handle your stubbornness and your busy work schedule." Henry says lightheartedly.

Regina sighs again. "She hasn't been answering any of my phone calls. I think I've made a huge mess of things and I don't know how to fix it."

"You'll think of something. I know you will." Henry lets go of Regina's hand and gives it a few pats with his own. "Now, I need you and your sister to apologize to each other and give hugs because you know how much I hate it when you two raise your voices at each other. You're sisters and she loves you. You know that she means well, most of the time." He says as he stands up and reaches a hand to her expecting her to take it. "And keep trying to call Emma. She may need some time, but I'm sure she'll come around once you've managed to tell her how you really feel."

Regina takes her father's hand and let's him pull her up. Almost immediately, she wraps her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you, Daddy." She whispers.

Henry gives her a kiss on her temple and then smiles as he returns the hug, giving her an extra, exaggerated squeeze.

All Regina can think about is how she never grows tired of her father's hugs or his advice, and just how very much she really misses Emma. She has been so stupid and she hopes that she can still mend what she's broken by telling the blonde how she truly feels.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Note: I am really enjoying the feedback, guys! A few of you must think the same way as I do because a lot of predictions for what may happen are pretty accurate--makes me feel like the flow of the story is actually going pretty well. So, here's another chapter for you as promised, and I have only two chapters left after this one. At the rate we are going, I will have posted the rest before the end of the weekend! I'm really excited for you to read the rest of the story. Like I mentioned before, if this were a romantic comedy, this is the part that you've all been hoping for. So, if you like happy endings and romantic gestures, stay with me until the end. Sorry, not sorry, but there's another cliff hanger at the end of this one. Remember, 11 reviews/comments unlocks the next chapter. Happy reading!***

Ruby is laughing at something one of her regulars is saying to her when the sound of the front door opening grabs her attention. She turns to see Regina coming in and it completely takes her by surprise. It has been a little over a week since Emma spent the night on her couch because she was too drunk and tired to make her way home. She heard that night about what happened between her best friend and Regina, and no one will have to question where her loyalties will lie.

Regina walks up to the bar and hesitantly takes one of the empty barstools. When she sees Ruby studying her, her anxiousness level rises. "Hello." She says after taking a deep breath. "You might not remember me-"

"Oh, I know who you are." Ruby says. She is not rude but she does not want to waste any time on pleasantries either. "What can I getcha?" She adds with her best customer service smile.

Regina swallows the lump in her throat. "Um… I'll just take a glass of water. I have to go back to work after this." She says, not really knowing why she feels the need to explain her drink preference, even though she feels a little awkward ordering water in a bar.

Ruby eyes Regina suspiciously and wants to tell her that she needs to leave if she is not a paying customer, but also wants to hear what she may have to say. So, she nods and fills a glass with ice and water, drops a coaster down in front of the brunette, and places it down for her.

"Thank you." Regina says quietly.

"Sure." Ruby says before turning away.

Regina stops her. "Ruby, have you seen Emma lately?" She asks.

Ruby humors Regina with an answer but she keeps her tone uninterested at best. "Yes, I have. She's been busy though so she hasn't come around here much." She adds that last bit hoping that Regina will take the hint.

"She won't return any of my phone calls and I just really need to speak to her." Regina says even though she can see on Ruby's face that she has no real regard to what she has to say.

"Well, that's a real bummer. Maybe you shouldn't have broken her heart." Ruby says as she turns towards Regina and puts both hands on the bar top.

Regina flinches at Ruby's comment. "That's fair. You have every right to be upset that I hurt your best friend. But, I promise that I'm trying to make it right. I just need to talk to her." Regina pleads.

Ruby sighs. Regina seems sincere enough, but that does not mean that she is ready and willing to throw Emma back into a shitstorm. "Look, Regina. I like you. I mean, I don't know you, but I don't tend to doubt Emma's judge of character. She just needs some time, okay? I mean, whatever it is you want from her or want to tell her will have to wait until she is ready to see you again. Pardon my French, but that whole thing with Julia fucked her up, and she dealt with it in a very unhealthy way when she decided to keep Julia so close to her even after they ended things. I want to say that she seems to value her friendship with you a little more than that, which is why she is keeping her distance. You need to let her get over you, first, you know?" Ruby says matter-of-factly, adding a shrug for good measure.

Regina frowns. "But, the thing is, I don't want her to get over me." She says sadly. "Ruby, I made a huge mistake and I want to correct it."

Ruby squints her eyes at Regina trying to understand. "Wait. You don't want her to be over you because…?" Ruby asks cautiously.

"I want to tell her that she wasn't the one that screwed things up between us. I was the one that screwed it up by lying to myself about how I really feel." Regina says.

Ruby smiles. "And how do you feel about Emma exactly?"

"You're really going to make me say it aloud, aren't you?" Regina asks as she grins.

Ruby laughs at this. She can see why Emma loves Regina so much. She is both beautiful and charismatic. "Sure am. Only because I want to hear it for myself."

Regina rolls her eyes playfully. "I don't want her to be over me, because I love her." She says slowly. "And I just want the chance to fix it and make it up to her."

Ruby's smiles grows wider. "Now, this, I can work with. But to be really honest, Emma has been super busy. There's an event at the hospital in a couple of weeks and she's putting the whole thing together. I haven't even seen her in days. She does tend to try and keep herself busy when she's upset or hurting, so this thing she's doing really came at a good time. But, as far as me helping to get you some time with her, that's really going to be tough until after all of this."

Regina nods. "I understand. Can I leave you my card?"

"Yeah, of course!" Ruby says. "Gimme two of them and I throw one of them in the box we have for the weekly drawing. You get free lunch if they draw your card." Ruby says as she winks at Regina.

Regina laughs and reaches into her purse for her business card holder. Then she pulls two cards and hands them to Ruby. "Thank you. I really appreciate this." She says earnestly as she gets up, ready to go back to the office.

Ruby chuckles. "Don't thank me just yet. Emma is not always the easiest person to talk to when she has closed herself off. But, I'll see what I can do. You have my word." Regina nods again and Ruby watches as she turns to leave. Then she just shakes her head and sighs wondering what she has just gotten herself into.  _Man, this is going to be tough as shit._

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to just call Regina and ask her to go with you to the gala as your date?" Ruby asks again but she knows the answer already. Emma called her just a few days ago asking her to accompany her to the hospital's charity event. She wants to go, but she also thinks that this would be the perfect time for her and Regina to talk things out.

"Rubes, I haven't talked to Regina in weeks. And I have no plans to call her for a long time so, yes, I'm sure." Emma says. It has been nearly a month since Valentine's Day and she has not been able to talk herself into reaching out to Regina. The brunette however, has called her a few times, leaving a voice message for her each time, but after the second week without a response from her, the calls stopped.

"You know, you're such a stubborn asshole sometimes." Ruby says shaking her head. After that day her and Regina had the chat in the bar, Regina has continued to stop by every few days for the last couple of weeks hoping that she would run into Emma by chance. Each time, she seemed more desperate than the last to get see the blonde, and even though Ruby has no plans to tell her best friend that she has seen Regina, she is starting to feel pity for the older woman. "I don't get you. Just call her."

"I will eventually, Rubes. I'm not ready. And I just have too much going on right now for me to be distracted. I am actually hosting the event this year! And in my Gramp's name. It isn't something that I take very lightly, you know that." Emma says as she leans back into her couch. "There's so much to do. I haven't been able to reach very many donors, and you know how much I want us to be able to raise enough money so the hospital can get the new equipment that they need. The kids deserve this."

Ruby sighs. "I know, babe. And you will. I never have any doubts that you will do whatever it takes to get those kids everything they deserve. Maybe I can help with calling donors for you. We still have four days before the gala. I can take some work off your plate." Ruby says hoping to lift Emma's spirits.

"Really?" Emma asks as a relieved smile spreads across her face. "That would be amazing."

Ruby returns the smile and wraps her arm around Emma giving her a squeeze. "Of course. You know I'd do anything to help you, Em, even if it means I have to thicken my skin and call all the rich and famous in the Greater Seattle area to solicit money from them."

This makes Emma laugh. "Thank you. This means the world to me."

"I know." Ruby nods and then looks over to the clock above Emma's television. "Give me that list and I'll head home and start calling. You have to be at the hospital in a bit to to help Deb with the catering stuff, don't you? Didn't you say four?"

Emma looks up at the clock as well. "Oh shit. Yeah, four. I don't know where my head has been lately. I've been so disorganized." She opens her portfolio, pulls out a few sheets of paper that are stapled together and hands it to Ruby.

Ruby knows exactly where her friend's head has been but chooses to bite her tongue. Then, it suddenly comes to her whom it is that she should call first, and she smiles widely at her revelation. "Alright, well, keep me posted. And I'll let you know as soon as I make some headway on this…" She flips through the pages that Emma has handed to her. "Damn, what is this? Eight pages?!" She asks with a nervous laugh.

Emma chuckles. "Don't worry, I've checked off everyone I've called already. You only have like three more pages to go."

"Oh, thank goodness." Ruby says laughing. "Alright. I'll do my best." She leans in to hug Emma once more and then shows herself out. As she makes her way to the car, she reaches into the side pocket of her purse and pulls out the business card that Regina left her two weeks ago. Without any hesitation, she dials the number.

* * *

"Wow, Em, this place looks amazing." Ruby says still holding onto Emma's arm.

"Not bad for the shitty budget that I was given, right?" Emma says with a cheeky grin.

Ruby nods as she continues to look around the room. "You've really outdone yourself, Swan. Your grandpa would be so proud of you."

Emma looks around herself and she smiles sadly. The hospital's annual charity gala is an event that Emma has always looked forward to as a little girl. When she was still in elementary school, she was able to come dressed as her favorite superhero just as all of the other children did. The last time she was here, she was invited as her grandfather's date and she can still remember it all so vividly. She wore a long, dark red evening gown that night, the same one she would wear a few months later to her senior prom, and that night was the last time she really remembers seeing him smile at her because the next time she saw him was at her graduation party and that night in contrast, was when everything fell apart.

"Hey…" Ruby says as she rubs gently on Emma's arm. She knows very well that Emma still has very emotional memories of her grandfather. "You did good, and he would be proud. I know it."

Emma just smiles again and nods. "So, Deb said that one of the donors you called really pulled through for us. I think I'm supposed to accept this big check from whoever it is tonight. And I mean, literally, one of those cheesy, large cardboard ones."

"Oh yeah?" Ruby asks. "Do you know how much?"

"No, Deb didn't say. But, I'm really hoping it's at least enough for the new chemo and radiation machines for the kiddos."

"Em, it'll be fine. Stop worrying so much and try to enjoy the party, alright? You look fucking amazing in that dress, and your makeup is on point. Don't stress about it. Any money you raise tonight will be great for the hospital, so stop putting so much pressure on yourself." They finally find their table and Ruby sees that there is a card by each table setting. She picks it up to see that on the front is a photograph of all the kids in their superhero costumes and the back, a program of the evening's events. "Aww… how adorable! Did you snap this one?" She asks.

Emma nods. "Yeah. That one is one of my favorites." She picks up her own copy and looks at it remembering how much fun she had the afternoon she took that photo.

"EMMA!"

Emma smiles because she can recognize that shriek anywhere. She turns to see Braxton running towards her in his nascar jumpsuit while his two dads are trailing behind him. When he makes it over to Emma, she swoops him up and spins him around, causing the boy to giggle with delight. "Hey there, Mr. Race Car Driver."

"Hi!" Braxton says still giggling. "Wow!" He says as she touches her face with both of his pudgy hands. "You look so purty."

This makes Emma giggle. "Aren't you just the little charmer." She says as she pokes him lightly in the stomach.

His parents finally make their way over to where they are standing and Emma introduces them to Ruby. They continue to chat a little bit about Braxton's health, which Emma is very glad to hear has been improving quite a bit. Braxton eventually runs off when some other children arrive and Emma gives his dads each a warm hug before they walk away to catch up with their son.

"He is such a cutie!" Ruby says as they both pull out their chairs to sit down. "These kids are so brave. It's so incredible to see."

"Yeah, every single one of them is braver than anyone of us adults in this room, that's for damn sure." Emma says.

Ruby nods in agreement before picking up her program again to read it. "Em! I just realized that you're giving a speech."

Emma laughs. "Rubes, I'm the hostess. That's kinda my job. Anyway, it's not really going to be a speech. I'm just supposed to welcome everyone to the gala before dinner starts, and then thank them for coming after we've all had dinner."

"Yikes, there are so many people in here. I would be so nervous." Ruby says with a grin.

Just as Emma is about to say something to her friend about how she works as a bartender for a living and talking to people really is her forte, Deb touches her shoulder from behind. "Look at you, Emma. You look wonderful!"

Emma smiles as she gets up so that she can give Deb a hug. "Thanks, Deb. And look at you, Beautiful. Damn, I think this is the first time I've ever seen you out of scrubs." She adds with a chuckle.

Deb laughs. "I think that you're probably right. She leans around Emma and waves to Ruby. "Hi Ruby."

Ruby's lifts her hand to wave and her eyes widen in surprise when she realizes what she's done.

"Wait." Emma says, confused. "Have you two met?"

This time, Deb's eyes widen. "No, we haven't, but we've spoken to each other a few times over the phone this week because she was helping me with the donors. And you told me you were bringing her as a date so I assumed that she had to be Ruby." Deb says with a confident smile

Ruby lets out the breath she was just holding. "Yeah. It's very nice to meet you, finally. Emma has told me so much about you, I feel like we've met a hundred times before."

Emma watches the exchange between her two friends and raises an eyebrow inquisitively. Before she can say anything however, Deb interrupts her thoughts once again.

"Emma, are you ready to make the opening statement? I think that everyone that is coming is probably here already. We should tell the caterers they can start serving soon. It's a quarter till."

Emma nods, whatever she was going to say to her two friends already forgotten. She walks with Deb to the side of the platform at the front of the room and makes her way over to where the microphone stand is. She taps it a few times making sure that it is on. "Hello. Hi, everyone. Um… welcome. Can everyone hear me?" She hears some of the kids in the back giggling and it calms her nerves a bit. She waves back to some of them that are waving at her and smiles brightly. "I think that maybe only a few handfuls of you know who I am, so I should probably begin with an introduction. I'm Emma and I'm your hostess this evening. I would like to welcome you all to the annual charity gala for the Central Seattle Children's Hospital. Dinner will be served shortly, so if you all could make your way to your seats, the servers can make sure that they bring you the correct meal. There is a seating chart by the entrance if you get lost. And I was told just earlier this evening by one of my top secret sources, that over at the kid's table, they are serving chicken nuggets. So, if anyone needs to find me, that is where I will be. Enjoy your dinner, everyone!" There is applause and laughter as Emma walks off of the platform and back to her seat by Ruby.

Ruby smiles widely at her friend. "You really are a natural at all of this. It's kinda nice to see you in your element."

Emma laughs and just shakes her head at her friend. "This place just means so much to me. I really want tonight to go well."

Ruby smiles at her best friend just as the caterers start bringing out their dinner. "It will. I have a really good feeling about it." She says as she gives Emma's shoulder another reassuring squeeze.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Note: ALRIGHT! I'm sorry that this took me so long. All of you that called me out for being torturous--I totally deserve it. I had a study group this morning for an Accounting assignment that took us 3 hours to complete (it was only 4 questions). Anyway, so here I am with the final chapter of this story. Warning: it ends a bit abruptly but that's why there will be an Epilogue to follow, so don't fret too much. A lot more fluff in that one, I promise. Another thing that I want to bring up is that I know that there are a lot of mixed feelings in regards to Regina just throwing cash at her problem and I assure you that I tried to address all the feelings from both of the character's POVs when it comes to that, and I can only hope that I did it some justice for those of you reading. PLEASE leave me your thoughts. I won't bribe you with the next chapter this time because I will probably post it tonight after I do a final run-through. But, I always love hearing from you. Enjoy and Happy Mother's Day if you're celebrating it!.***

Dinner goes by rather quickly and when all the dishes have been taken away and the tables are cleared, Emma sees Deb waving for her to approach the raised platform once again, so they could do their special donation presentation. According to Deb, they received a very special donation this year that they wanted to share with the room and Emma has been looking forward to the big reveal all evening because she is very excited to find out just how much they were able to raise for the hospital. She excuses herself from the table and walks over to where the head nurse is already standing by the microphone stand. She looks down and over at Ruby to see her best friend giving her two thumbs up and she smiles happily.

Deb pulls the microphone off of the stand and taps it a couple of times before she speaks into it. "Hello everyone. I hope that your dinner was enjoyable. We are so very grateful for everyone who could join us tonight. I see so many familiar faces out there that make it a point to come to this event and have supported us for over fifteen years now, and we cannot express enough how grateful we are for it. A few days ago, with the help from a new friend, we received a phone call from someone very special. Before I introduce you to who that is, I would like to first say that our goal this year was to raise enough money for two new Chemotherapy and radiation machines. When I talked to this wonderful lady earlier this week, she told us that her company not only wanted to purchase those two machines for us, but they wanted to give an additional one-hundred thousand dollars to CSCH." Deb pauses for a moment as there are gasps and whispers throughout the room.

Just as surprised as most everyone in the room, Emma's eyes go wide as well. She looks over at Deb who is still staring out into the crowd and then over to Ruby who now has a smug grin on her face.  _Ruby, you little brat! You knew about this and didn't tell me!_ She turns her attention back to Deb, anxiously waiting for her to announce who this new benefactor is.

Deb looks briefly at Emma and smiles before turning her attention back to the room full of people. "This incredibly generous donation from the Mavis Financial Group…"

When Emma hears the name of the donor, she freezes, her mind starts racing which causes her to block out the rest of Deb's introduction and speech completely.  _Wait. What?!_ She looks at Ruby again and sees that her best friend still has that smirk on her face.  _No, she didn't…_ But then her suspicions are confirmed by Deb's next few words.

"And with us tonight is the Chief Executive Officer Regina Mills. Regina, if you could make your way up here please… "

Emma looks out into the large ballroom, and watches as Regina, who is dressed in a simple but elegant black and silver ball gown, gets up and starts walking up towards where they are.

Regina takes a deep breath and makes her way up towards Emma and Deb. She has not seen Emma for almost a month and feels terrible for ambushing her this way, but when Ruby had approached her earlier this week about the charity event, and potentially becoming a donor, she agreed without a moment's hesitation. She knew that she could persuade the company to make their annual charitable donation to the children's hospital with or without the hope of winning Emma over. But, tonight, seeing Emma again, and being able to admire her from across the room all evening, all she can think about is what it would feel like to kiss her again. When she finally makes it up to the platform, she looks up at Emma and they meet eyes for the first time in nearly four weeks. It takes her a few seconds to adjust, but she finally smiles warmly at the blonde.

Emma smiles back casually and it must have been the blood pumping in her ears that somehow caused her to tune everything out, but before she knew it, her and Regina were standing opposite each other with a giant cardboard check and there are flashes of lights from cameras everywhere.

Once the photographers are finished, Deb wedges her way in between the two women and pulls Regina in for a hug. "Thank you so very much, Regina." She says with watery eyes. "You have no idea how much this means to those kids."

"No, Deb, you have no idea how much all of this means to me." Regina says, her voice cracking with emotion as well. "When Ruby called and asked if we would be interested in contributing, it was a no-brainer for me."

 _So, it was Ruby…_ Suddenly, Emma feels Deb pushing her towards Regina. She stops herself from plowing into the woman but they are standing barely six inches apart. She quickly reaches out her hand awkwardly in the tiny space between them. "Thank you." She says.

Regina smiles sadly but takes Emma's hand and shakes it. "Mavis is more than glad to help. And on a personal level, this hospital means a lot to me." She nods and then pulls her hand away slowly as Deb leads her off the stage so that Emma can make her closing statement.

Emma watches as Regina and Deb takes their seats again, but she is still in a daze. Her only reason for not wanting to see Regina again so soon is because she knows how much it still hurts. And now that Regina is here, she has no choice but to face her while still trying to sort out her feelings for the woman. Feelings, that she cannot make go away, it seems.

Emma smiles into the mic when the room is ready for her again. "So, wow. Talk about a difficult act to follow." She says and it elicits a few smiles and chuckles from the room. "Thank you all for joining us this year at one of my most favorite events in Seattle. Every year, we gather here to not only celebrate another great year of the friends we've made, or the hard work and incessant dedication of the entire staff here at CSCH, but we also come here to celebrate the real superheroes we all have in our lives." The room erupts in applause and Emma is grateful for it because it gives her a chance to take a deep breath before she continues. She scans the crowd then, and even when she tries not to, her eyes immediately find Regina's. She lingers there for a moment before looking away and over to the tables where all the children and their parents are sitting. "Some of you may know that my grandfather was the Chief of Medicine at this hospital when I was a little girl. He once told me that when he stepped down from that position to work exclusively with Children's Oncology, he would never find a more rewarding job. And my grandfather has always been my hero, but every time I would tell him that when I was younger, he would just laugh, take my hand, and walk me into the Oncology wing. Then, he would introduce me to all of his patients, just to make sure I'd remember who I really should be looking up to. You see, he'd tell me, true heroes are those that teach all of us how to be brave when we don't have enough fight left in us, and how to keep smiling not only when we have the really good days, but the terrible days, too. These amazing kids have shown me how important it is to live without fear and to wake up with purpose. My grandfather has established many traditions within this hospital but one of his most important legacies is this Superheroes' Charity Gala, because one-hundred percent of the money we've raised through all of your contributions and support goes into helping our everyday heroes fight their battles, and there is really nothing in the world more rewarding than that. In closing, I would like to thank you all again for joining us tonight and for your generous contributions." Emma smiles as she slowly turns to find Regina's face in the crowd again. "And again, a very special 'thank you' to Regina Mills and Mavis Financial Group for their extremely generous gifts and donation. On behalf of the children and the entire staff here at CSCH, we are all eternally grateful." Regina's eyes never leaves hers and she suddenly feels as though the ground is falling away beneath her so she forces herself to look away. "For those of you that are not too tired of us yet, please stay for some music and mingling, and even some dancing if you're brave enough for it. Let me just say though, these kids will show you up in that department so let that be your warning. Thank you again, and enjoy the rest of your night."

The music starts almost immediately after she is finished speaking and it helps to block out some of the other noise in her head. She walks back to where Ruby is is sitting and immediately pulls her best friend out of her seat, and drags her into the nearest ladies restroom.

"OW! Em! Geezus." Ruby says once Emma lets go of her arm.

Emma checks all the stalls to make sure there is no one else in there with them. "You called Regina!? Rubes, really?! Why would you do that?"

"Okay, babe. Listen. I haven't told you this because you've been moping and I didn't want to make things worse, but Regina started coming to the bar a few weeks ago. She stopped by after work, at lunch, on weekends, just hoping to run into you. And you know what? I felt bad for her, okay?"

"You felt bad for her? How about me? I'm your best friend. You should be feeling bad for me!" Emma says, really more frustrated than angry.

"My heart is always breaking for you, Ems. That's why I finally just called her. And before you jump to your own conclusions about what happened here, I only called her to see if she would make a small donation in her own name so that it would guarantee her a ticket for the gala. I wanted her to come here so you two could talk. I never planned for her to go all out like this. Deb called me just yesterday, and asked me to stop by the hospital so that she could tell me herself about Mavis, only because Regina had mentioned to her that I was the one that reached out in the first place."

Emma sighs. "If she thinks that throwing money at this will somehow fix our friendship…"

"Ems, before you even go there, it was Deb and I that begged her to come. She told me she wanted to make an anonymous donation without mentioning herself or Mavis because she didn't want you to think that she was using it to win you back. Nor did she want to surprise you in this way. "

Emma laughs bitterly. "Win me back. Ha. Win me back as what? A casual lay? She doesn't want a relationship, remember?"

Ruby sighs. "Ems, really, you should talk to her. The look on her face earlier when you snubbed her with that handshake… if that didn't look like a change of heart to you, you're blind."

Emma considers her friend's comment for a moment, but just as she is about to respond, the door swings open to a group of women coming in to use the restroom. Both her and Ruby smile politely before exiting.

Ruby takes Emma's arm as they walk back into the ballroom and she squeezes it lightly. "Hey, so tell me, are you still in love with her?" Ruby asks.

Emma looks at her friend and just nods slowly. She feels so conflicted. She should be livid at both of them, but all she can think about is what Ruby just said about Regina having a change of heart.

Ruby just smiles at this, but quickens their pace back into the ballroom. Once inside, they notice that the crowd of people has died down. Ruby looks around for Regina and sees that she is standing with Braxton in her arms while chatting with the boy's two fathers. She nudges Emma. "Hey, there's your girl. You should go over there and thank her again."

Emma bites her lower lip and contemplates her move. Before she has decided, Ruby nudges her again in the direction of Regina nearly causing her to trip on her heels. She turns to glare at Ruby but quickly recovers and walks towards where Regina is. "Hey, Brax, isn't it past your bedtime?" Emma says as she approaches the group. She does not make eye contact with Regina and internally, she is berating herself for the awkwardness.

"Emma!" He says and he reaches out for her. Regina turns and releases him into Emma's arms.

"Did you have fun tonight, little guy?" Emma asks the boy.

"Yes! Daddy and Papa have fun tonight, too." Braxton says.

Emma looks over at his parents and smiles. "I'm so glad you guys could make it out tonight. It is so great to see the both of you."

"Of course, Emma. It was a great party. Now, baby…" He says reaching out for Braxton. "Let's go find Nurse Deb and let Emma and Regina talk. Regina, thank you again. You're an angel."

Regina smiles at the man. "I'm honestly very glad that Mavis could help to make a difference. No 'thank yous' necessary."

When everyone has walked away leaving just the two of them, Regina smiles sadly at the ground hoping that Emma would be the first to speak. When she actually does however, it takes her by surprise.

"So, how have you been?" Emma asks.

Regina looks up then and moves one of her own loose strands of hair, nervously tucking it behind her ear. "I have been busy as always. Nothing too different. How have you been? The gala is amazing. Ruby told me that you put it all together on your own. This must have been a lot of work."

"It was a huge pain in my ass, to be completely honestly." Emma says as she laughs which makes Regina chuckle as well.  _God, I've missed the sound of that._ "When I told Deb that I would take this on, I had no idea how time-consuming it was going to be."

"Well, you did a wonderful job. And… you look absolutely beautiful tonight." Regina says, hoping that she sounds as sincere as possible.

Emma smiles. "Ahh. But, as always, I pale in comparison to you. That dress looks incredible on you."

Regina blushes. "Thank you." She says shyly.

They both stand there silently for a moment and that is when Braxton suddenly appears between them again pulling on each of their dresses. "Emma, Gina, come dance with me! Daddy and Papa are dancing, too!"

Emma chuckles and just shrugs at Regina. They let the very eager little boy lead them to the open space at the back of the large room. As soon as they step foot on the dance floor however, Braxton lets out an exaggerated cry.

"Owie, ow, ow!" He says as he sits down and the ground and grabs his foot. He looks over to the corner where Ruby and Deb are standing and nods with a big smile. "Emma, I think I broke my ham-bor-ger string."

Emma laughs loudly. "I think you mean your hamstring, buddy. Even though that's not where your foot is. Are you alright? You want me to take a look at it?"

"NO! It hurts and I can't dance now. You and Regina dance together!" He shouts before getting up and running off.

Emma watches as the boy runs over to where Deb and Ruby are standing, and when Ruby sees her looking in their direction, she winks. Emma laughs and shakes her head. When she turns back to Regina, she knows that Regina can see Ruby and Deb as well.

"I think maybe we've been conned." Regina says, half smiling, while her heart flutters at the thought of having more time alone with Emma.

"That would be the nice way to put it. I mean, this entire night seems to have been a conspiracy against me." Emma says, but when she sees Regina frown deeply at her comment, it makes her want to take it back. "I didn't mean that in a bad way though, I promise. And since we're already over here, may I have this dance?" She asks as she reaches a hand out for Regina to take.

The proposition surprises Regina, but she is awfully glad for the chance to be holding Emma in her arms again, so she takes her hand and lets the blonde pull her in a little closer. They dance slowly for a moment, neither one of them even paying attention to the music, when Regina finds the courage to speak again. "I'm sorry if I overstepped by showing up tonight. The last thing that I wanted is to make you feel uncomfortable."

"I'm going to be honest, Regina, I wasn't ready to see you again. And while I think that I'm still in shock from you showing up here tonight, that donation, and the new machines, that really means the world to these kids…" Emma looks into Regina's eyes as she feels her own get teary. "It means the world to me. When I told Deb I would put this event together, I really just wanted to do something that I knew would make my Gramps proud. I spent so many sleepless nights stressing about how it just wasn't going to happen. The Mavis donation really blew everyone away. It blew me away. And I think that he would be so happy if he were here tonight."

Regina frowns. "Emma, with or without the donation, your grandfather would be extremely proud of you. You are such a beautiful, smart, talented, and caring woman. Everyone in this room is lucky to know you. I hope that you don't believe for a second that the amount of money that you raise tonight is in any way correlated to your worthiness to be loved."

Emma smiles sadly and does not respond. But she does however, think about how everything would be so much easier if Regina did not always say the sweetest things to her.  _How do I even stay mad at this woman?_

"And I do want to reiterate that I am really sorry for just showing up the way that I did. I promise you that the last thing I want is to make you feel like I'm forcing you to talk to me, because I would never do that."

"I know. It's just that I'm not even entirely sure how to mend our friendship after the way we left things the last time I saw you." Emma frowns. "I'm not saying that I don't want to. I just may need more time."

Regina understands exactly what Emma means. When things ended between her and Silas, she never wanted to see him again. She would never expect any different from Emma. But, she does need to tell Emma the truth about how she feels because she deserves at least that. "I flew to New York the day after Valentine's Day." Regina says after another long moment of silence between them, hoping for the chance to tell Emma what she is feeling. She is nervous but makes sure to hold her gaze.

"Oh, yeah?" Emma asks, wondering why Regina is bringing this up now.

"Yes. I was there for almost a week, just doing absolutely nothing but trying to figure out what it is that I want. Being away from you really gave me some time to really think about everything, and it helped me to realize a few things about myself." Regina says.

Emma furrows her brow and frowns expecting a different version of the 'Let's just be friends' speech from Regina all over again. "Like what sort of things?" Emma asks nervously.

"Well, for one, I realized how much you really mean to me." Regina waits, but Emma stays silent, so she continues. "Emma, about what you said to me the last time we saw each other…"

"Regina, I-"

"Emma, I think that I'm in love with you." Regina blurts out before Emma can finish her thought. She looks down between them for a second but meets Emma's eyes again before she continues. "What i mean is, I know that I'm in love with you, but I understand if you no longer feel that way about me. I just really needed to tell you that." When Emma still does not respond, she takes the blonde's silence as her answer. "I uh, should probably go…"

Instinctively, Emma pulls Regina in closer to her, wrapping her arm around her waist tighter than before. She is still at a loss for words but she is not going to let Regina walk away from this. "Do you really believe that I would be completely over you already after just a few weeks?"

Regina tilts her head to the side. "To be honest, after the way I treated you, yes, but I was really hoping that you weren't."

Emma hums and nods at Regina's honesty. Then her expression changes to a concerned one. "So, where does this leave us, exactly?"

"Well, can I be blunt?" Regina asks.

Emma chuckles at Regina's question. "Of course you can. Since when does Regina Mills ask for permission to speak her mind?" Emma says with a smirk.

Regina shakes her head but returns the smile. "I was really hoping to leave here tonight with at least one of two things."

Emma furrows her brow in confusion. "What things?"

"I would really like the recipe for the crabcakes they served us for dinner." Regina requests.

"Okay?" Emma says, even more confused, wondering how that has anything to do with what they are talking about. "I can get that for you if you really want it. I think the caterers are close friends with one of the doctors."

Regina nods. "But, the recipe is really just the consolation item…"

"Oh? So, there is something that you liked more than the crabcakes? The dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, perhaps? I think those may have been store bought and just tossed in the oven." Emma asks playfully as she watches Regina bite down on her lower lip.

Regina chuckles. "This is going to sound awfully forward, but I was really hoping that I would be able to leave here tonight with you as my girlfriend." She manages a smile but is not as confident as she was just a moment ago, and because Emma's expression has not changed, she is not sure how she should feel.

Emma lets go of Regina's hand so that she touch her face. She brushes her thumb lightly over Regina's cheek and smiles widely. "I think that there is a distinct possibility that you may be able to leave here with both of those things tonight."

When Regina hears this, her smile brightens. Then she immediately wraps her arms around Emma's neck and pulls her in for a kiss.

It takes Emma less than a second to register Regina's lips on hers, before she is kissing her back passionately, all of the heartache from the last month slowly melting away.

When they finally break apart again, Regina, with her hand still on the back of Emma's neck, pulls her girlfriend into her. "I love you, Emma." She whispers into Emma's lips as she nuzzles their noses. "But, I'm not very good at this. And I'm so terrified that I'm going to screw it all up."

Emma smiles before capturing Regina's lips again in a quick but sweet kiss. "I'm scared, too. But I can promise you, I will not let you walk away from me again.

Regina smirks. "Well, technically, you were the one that walked away last time."

Emma laughs. "Wow. But, woman, you were the one that waited two weeks to unwrap the birthday gift that I got you. So, how about we call it a draw."

Regina pouts her lips. "I'm still so upset at myself for that, and I really want to make it up to you. Will you let me thank you properly for being so patient with me, and for my gift?"

"Hmm… it depends. What did you have in mind exactly?" Emma asks with a mischievous grin.

Regina hums as well. "Well, do you think that the hospital staff will be willing to let me whisk their hostess away for the rest of the evening? I would really like to bring you home as soon as possible so that I can show you."

Emma smiles brilliantly. "You know what? I think that can definitely be arranged."


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Notes: I'm kinda sad because this will probably be the last time that you will hear from me in a while. I had a lot of mixed emotions writing this story and I'm very glad that I was able to share it. I've mentioned before, writing isn't really my forte, but it's turned into a way for me to decompress and unwind from my already super busy schedule, so thank you very, very much for indulging me by spending your limited and hard-earned spare time reading my work. With that said, this is probably the cheesiest thing I've every written. But I am a sucker for happy endings so I couldn't help myself. So, be warned. Also, if this were a movie, there'd be a song playing when the screen fades to black as the credits start rolling. I have that song picked out for you as well. If you would like, you can look it up: Terrified by Katharine McPhee (If you're a Youtuber, try to find the one that isn't the duet. While that one has it's own appeal, the album version where she is the main vocalist fits this story a bit more.) Thanks again and we'll hopefully meet again soon! Signing out for the very last time for this story ~V***

Regina is barely awake when she feels Emma wrapping an arm around her from behind. She smiles lazily before turning around so that she can snuggle up closer to her girlfriend. She kisses lightly along Emma's jawline and then her neck before settling into a nice, comfortable spot there. "Merry Christmas, Darling." She says finally, her voice still raspy with sleep.

Emma smiles. After they officially became a couple that night in March, the two of them have been inseparable. It did not take Regina very long to ask Emma to move into her penthouse apartment, and even though it should feel like things are moving too fast between them, they both agree that is has been a comfortable pace. "Merry Christmas to you, too, my love." Emma says as she kisses Regina's temple.

"What time is it?" Regina asks with her eyes still closed trying to block out the light that is already peeking through the curtains.

"Hmm…" Emma lifts herself up a little so that she can see the clock on the nightstand. "It's a little bit after seven."

Regina groans softly as she finally blinks open her sleepy eyes. "That means that Daddy is already up and making pancakes for breakfast."

Emma laughs. "Your family does not ever mess around with this whole holiday thing, do they?"

"My family? They're practically yours, too. Everyone loves you. And I'm pretty sure if we ever break up, they will keep you and tell me to find another family." Regina jokes.

"Well, seeing that you're stuck with me, I don't think that you'll have to worry about living on the streets anytime soon." Emma says.

Regina chuckles. "Well, for the record, I have no plans to ever let you go either."

Emma slides her hand underneath Regina's tank top then and rubs gently on her side and back, wanting to show her rather than tell her just how much she means to her, a very strategic move on Emma's part because she knows that it drives her girlfriend crazy. When Regina moans into her neck, she smiles triumphantly to herself.

"Mmm. That feels really good." Regina says as she finally looks up at Emma with a mischievous smile. Then she leans in and kisses her.

Emma immediately deepens their kiss and pulls Regina's body against her own. When Emma feels Regina push her down against the bed so that she can get on top of her, she laughs into their kiss. Regina pulls away to let her catch her breath but is still smiling down at her. "Baby, didn't you just say that your dad is already up making us breakfast?"

"Mhmm." Regina confirms but is already leaning back in and kissing her way down Emma's neck and collarbone.

"Doesn't that mean that everyone is probably going to be up soon?" Emma asks, but Regina's soft kisses are already clouding her thoughts.

"Yes." Regina says as she pulls away once again so that she can look Emma in the eyes. "You should have thought of that before you started touching me the way that you did. You started it." She adds playfully.

Emma just smiles. "So, what are you saying? What are our options here?"

"You don't have any options, Dear. You're just going to have to lay there quietly and let me ravish you." Regina says with a smirk.

This makes Emma laugh. "Well, that's not going to happen. Especially since you just said that I started this. I definitely get to go first." Before the brunette can argue, Emma sits up, pushing Regina up with her and starts kissing her again. This time, Emma rubs both hands up and down Regina's sides and the woman moans pleasurably into her mouth. She stops kissing her for a moment so that she can remove Regina's tank top but immediately captures her mouth again once the garment is tossed away onto the floor.

Regina wraps her arms around Emma's shoulders and tangles her fingers into Emma's hair as they kiss and she loves that everytime she does this, Emma relaxes into her touches. Emma starts kissing down her neck and she can can feel her body begin to quiver with the need for more of Emma's lips on her skin.

Emma's removes her own shirt in one fluid motions and then she flips both of them so that Regina is on her back. Emma wastes no time and runs her hands down Regina's sides again, this time catching her shorts and panties and pulling them down slowly, while also leaving a trail of kisses on her chest and stomach.

Regina lifts her hips so that Emma can remove the rest of her clothing and she sucks in a breath when she feels Emma lift one of her legs so that she can kiss her way down the inside of her thigh. "Emma…" Emma hums into her skin and it sends another shiver throughout her body.

Unexpectedly though, there is a soft knock on the door and Emma pulls the covers up with her as she quickly jumps and settles herself right next to Regina. She tries to hold back her panic even though her heart feels like it is beating out of her chest.

"Regina, Honey, are you two up?" Cora asks. "Breakfast is almost ready."

"Uh, yes, Momma. We're getting ready to come downstairs. Just getting dressed." Regina says trying to hold back her laughter. "We'll be down in a few minutes." Cora does not reply but they can hear her walking away. Regina turns towards Emma who is still hiding underneath the covers and pulls at them so that she can peak in. She finds Emma with the most endearing look on her face, like she had just been caught doing something terrible. "You can come out now. She's gone." Regina teases.

"That was too close." Emma says. "I thought she was going to come in."

Regina laughs as she pulls Emma into her. "You do know that my parents know about us, right? It's not like I snuck you into my bedroom in the middle of the night."

Emma blushes. "Yes, but I was just in between your legs and was just about to, you know…" Emma tries to explain awkwardly but cannot seem to find the words.

Regina laughs again. "Have breakfast?" She says with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Emma laughs, too, this time. Then she leans in and kisses Regina sweetly. "I love you." She says after their kiss.

Regina beams at her beautiful blonde. "I love you more." She leans in for another quick peck. "Now, we really have to throw on some clothes and have a real breakfast. Then we will probably all get ready for the day, open presents, and do whatever else it is that my lovely family has planned for the rest of the day. But tonight Swan, you're all mine."

"Yes ma'am." Emma says with a wink. "I'm all yours, always."

* * *

Regina has really wanted Emma to spend the holidays in New York with her and her family since the blonde officially moved in with her, but it is mostly because there is a very important gift that she wanted to give to Emma on Christmas morning. When she was home for Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, she disclosed to her family that she wanted to marry Emma, and was ready to propose to the blonde. Everyone was beyond ecstatic, of course, and Zelena and Cora even helped her to pick out the perfect ring. She let Zelena hold on to it, knowing that if she brought it back to Seattle with her, she would not be able to keep it a secret.

About halfway through breakfast is when Regina's nerves really start to get the best of her. Lucky for her, Emma was so entertained by everyone else that she does not really notice anything out of the ordinary. After breakfast, everyone went their separate ways so that they can get ready for the opening presents and for the other festivities that Henry and Cora have planned for them. When Regina makes her way downstairs again, all dressed and made up, Zelena pulls her into the dining room and hands her the ring box. Regina opens it up to take a look at the ring again for the first time in nearly a month. She takes a deep breath and smiles before closing it up and sliding it into her blazer pocket.

Zelena smiles. "Are you nervous?"

"I feel like the chocolate chip pancakes are going to come back up." Regina replies honestly.

Zelena chuckles. "Look at you, a big, bad CEO, nervous to pop the question."

Regina glares.

"C'mon, Sis. It's all going to be fine." Zelena says, reaching out to rub Regina's arm for reassurance.

Regina sighs. "I love her, Zee. So much."

Zelena chuckles. "Oh, we all know you do. I don't think I've ever seen you this whipped in my life. And Emma knows you do also, which is why you don't have to be nervous about anything. It'll be fine." She pulls her sister in for a hug just as Emma is rounding the corning into the dining room.

"Hey, here you are. Everyone is ready and waiting for you two." Emma says with a smile as she reaches out her hand to Regina.

Regina takes it gladly, intertwining their fingers as they walk into the living room where everyone is waiting patiently for them. The three of them help Harry divvy up the gifts and once that is done, they take turns unwrapping until Reese is the only one with any presents left.

When they are all done and cleaning up the wrapping paper, Regina looks up to see both Zelena and her mother staring at her, waiting for her next move. She takes another deep breath, puts her hand in the blazer pocket, and turns towards her girlfriend who just so happens to be walking over to her with another wrapped gift. She raises her brow at Emma in confusion.

"I, uh...forgot that I had one more for you. I had it in my suitcase and forgot to bring it down with the rest." Emma says.

"Oh." She says as she pulls her hand out of her pocket so that she can take the gift from Emma. She sits down on the couch and starts unwrapping it. Once all the wrapping paper is gone, she notices that it's just a plain, brown cardboard box. "How mysterious..." She says grinning at Emma. She looks for the tape that is holding the box shut and when she finally finds it, she picks at it until a piece comes loose and rips it off slowly. When she opens the box, she finds that it is filled with packing peanuts and random balls of newspaper, and she laughs. "Darling, you packaged this one like you were going to mail it to me."

Emma chuckles nervously. "I really wanted to make sure it was going to be alright for the flight over." She says.

Regina digs around in the box with her hand untils he feels something solid. She wraps her fingers around it and pulls it out. "It's a jewelry box." She says, as she examines the plain and simple wooden box.

"It's actually a music box." Emma says as she kneels down onto the ground, closer to Regina, so that she can show help her to examine it. "I found this in a thrift store…" Emma starts.

Regina smiles and nods at Emma.

"I don't even know what song it plays because it didn't say it anywhere on here. I've listened to it a few times and there are parts of it that might be a little familiar, but I can't really make it out." Emma says.

"That's alright, baby. I love it." Regina says as she reaches for the box again.

"Wait, there's something else." Emma says.

Regina nods slowly waiting for Emma to continue.

"Meeting you on the flight back home last Christmas was the most random thing that has ever happened to me." Emma says. "And I realized right away that it was also one of the best things to ever happen to me." Emma takes another breath to calm her nerves. "You, Regina Mills, are the best thing to ever happen to me. You've changed my life, and I don't want to ever spend another day without you in it." Emma places the music box in Regina's hands again and opens it to reveal a smaller box on the inside. She pulls out the smaller box and opens it.

Regina's breath hitches when she sees the beautiful ring inside.

Emma called Henry and Cora a few weeks ago asking for their blessing which they gave happily. Since then, Emma has been a nervous wreck. When they packed for New York earlier in the week, she hid the gift in her suitcase hoping that Regina would not see it. Then preparing herself on how she was actually going to propose on top of everything else, has been giving her so much anxiety all week. And now that she is here, kneeling in front of the love of her life, she realizes that there will never be an easier question for her to ask. Emma takes the music box away from Regina and places it on the floor next to her. With her free hand, she takes Regina's left one. "Regina, will you marry me?"

Regina looks up at everyone else in the room then, and sees everyone staring at her, obviously waiting for her answer. Instead of answering, she reaches into her blazer pocket and pulls out the ring box that she been hiding from Emma, and opens it as well.

Emma's eyes go wide, but then she puts her face into Regina's lap and starts laughing uncontrollably. "Oh my god, did we just…?"

Regina is laughing now too as she runs her hand through Emma's long wavy locks. "We obviously had the same idea."

"SO?" Zelena finally says with a wide grin on her face. "Are one of you going to say 'yes' so that we can move on with the rest of our day?"

Emma lifts her head up, off of Regina's lap and looks her in the eyes. "So, what do you say? Wanna be my wife?"

Regina smiles. "Absolutely."

Emma smiles and removes the ring from the box. She takes Regina's hand and slides it only her finger. "Perfect fit." She says smugly.

Regina does the same with her ring for Emma and once the ring is on, she pulls Emma towards her and kisses her. "I love you so much." She whispers.

"I love you more." Emma says with a smirk.

They spend the day at the theatre and catch a double feature which is a Mills family tradition, and when they are home having dinner that night, everyone finds out that Henry and Cora had known that both Regina and Emma wanted to propose today and had bets on who would actually be the one to do it first. They also admit that they purposely did not say anything to Zelena about it because they did not trust her not to let it leak to Regina. Zelena is offended at first but finally agrees that she probably would not able to keep it a secret from her sister and best friend.

When dinner is finished, they all gather in the living room again to watch old Christmas movies and Emma picks a spot on the floor when her back against the couch. Regina walks over and sits down in front of her. Instinctively, she makes room for her fiancée, pulls her back against herself, and wraps her arms around her. Emma smiles to herself thinking about how there is no place that she would rather be than sitting here with Regina's family, with her arms around her love, and also about how falling in love with Regina will always be one of the few things in her life that has helped her to move on from her past.

Regina grabs Emma's hand and looks down at the ring that is on her finger. She turns her head so that she can see Emma's face and when she is met with her favorite smile, she leans in for a kiss. Their lips linger there for a moment, and Regina feels as if time could stop for an eternity and she would not know the difference. And, Emma makes her feel this way constantly. When she turns her attention back towards the movie that has just starting playing, she thinks about how she ended up here, how it took her too long to learn that she is not actually terrible at love or the simple fact that Emma is just so easy to love, and ultimately, how happy she is that she decided that day, a year ago, to buy a drink for the beautiful and anxious stranger on a plane.


End file.
